EL SEGUNDO — The hits keep coming. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has been hit more times than any other NFL quarterback, pressured more than anyone and sacked the third-most times, and that was before a 25-10 victory Sunday night over the Pittsburgh Steelers at SoFi Stadium.
Coach Jim Harbaugh called Herbert “a beast” when asked about Herbert’s health in the wake of another game in which he was hit, pressured and sacked repeatedly. But it also begged the question: Are some of the hits on Herbert late and therefore worthy of penalties against the opposition?
“I have another opinion that I just don’t want to say it publicly, but a lot of the time the ball is already out and he’s getting hit or they’re tackling him,” Harbaugh said. “He got high-lowed (during Sunday’s game against the Steelers), he got hit low a couple of times. I think that needs to be looked at.”
Herbert was sacked five times Sunday, but he still managed to throw for 220 yards and one touchdown without an interception. He also connected with Ladd McConkey on a 58-yard catch and run that set up a game-clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter against Pittsburgh.
Herbert hit McConkey on a 15-yard touchdown pass earlier in the game.
However, the Steelers delivered several hits after Herbert had completed his throws, which prompted Herbert to be as animated as he has been all season in gesturing toward and pleaded for some justice from the officials, but to no avail. Herbert often says publicly such hits “are part of the game.”
“I got rolled up on,” Herbert said Sunday of a particularly hard hit from behind that left him slow to regain his feet in the second quarter. He also acknowledged there was “a little bit of pain,” but that he felt “safe” to return to the game after members of the athletic training staff checked on him.
Given his 6-foot-6, 236-pound stature, it often seems Herbert is officiated differently in much the same way Shaquille O’Neal was during his seasons as a dominant center in the NBA, including while winning three consecutive league championships with the Lakers.
Herbert said Wednesday he will let an official know when he thinks an opponent has crossed the line, but avoids overdoing it for two reasons. First, complaining doesn’t change the call or non-call, as the case might be. Second, there is another play to be run and that’s where his focus must be.
“If I make a big deal out of it, you know, odds are they’re not going to call it,” Herbert said. “The more I fight, the more I push, I think they’re going to get more and more likely not to call it. So, I think, if they call it, great. If we get that 15 yards (from a roughing penalty), then we’re moving forward.
“If not, I’ve got to get back up. I can express my emotions and say that I thought that was a late hit or something like that, but at the end of the day, it’s out of my control. I’ve got to be back in control.”
Losing top tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater to season-ending injuries has been especially problematic for Herbert. Alt hurt his ankle in the Chargers’ victory Nov. 2 over the Tennessee Titans and Slater, a two-time Pro Bowl pick, was injured during a routine drill in training camp Aug. 7.
Herbert has thrown for 2,610 yards through 10 games, trailing only Daniel Jones of the Indianapolis Colts, who has passed for a league-leading 2,659 yards. Herbert also has been hit 62 times this season, pressured 173 times and sacked 33 times, per the website Pro Football Focus.
Herbert also has been a willing and effective runner this season, sometimes to foil opposing defenses but many other times out of self preservation. He has rushed for 324 yards and one TD on 51 attempts, second on the team behind running back Kimani Vidal, who has 404 yards and two TDs on 91 carries.
EXTRA POINTS
Tight end Oronde Gadsden was a full participant in practice after he was forced from Sunday’s game because of a knee injury. …
Wide receiver Keenan Allen, center Bradley Bozeman, outside linebacker Khalil Mack and defensive lineman Teair Tart were given a day off to rest.