Chargers must ride Omarion Hampton, not Justin Herbert to victory on Sunday

LOS ANGELES -- The Chargers need to protect Justin Herbert at all costs—it’s that simple. Yet, they haven’t been doing that.

Jim Harbaugh spent the entire offseason stressing that the team must play up to Herbert’s level, but so far they aren’t—nowhere close.

"He has taken too many [hits]," Harbaugh said. "It's very concerning. We've got to get better. We got to put him in a better position. Don't think he's been in a good position."

That’s an understatement. Over the last two weeks, Herbert has been hit 26 times, sacked seven times, pressured on 46 dropbacks, and thrown three interceptions.

Whatever recipe the Chargers are using isn’t letting Herbert cook the way he did in the first two games of the season.

In fact, they easily could have dropped their last two matchups. Herbert’s heroics alone helped them survive the relentless pressure from Denver’s defense.

Through the first month, the Chargers sit at 3-1, which is surprising, but their overall talent has carried them. Still, the offensive line—a weakness in 2024—remains a glaring problem this year.

They’ve been hit hard by injuries: left tackle Rashawn Slater went down shortly after signing a new contract extension, right guard Mekhi Becton suffered a concussion against Denver, and rookie left tackle Joe Alt left Sunday’s game against the Giants with a high ankle sprain.

Alt is pushing to return sooner than the typical 3–6 week recovery window because the team desperately needs him. Becton was a limited participant in practice this week, but remains questionable, with Harbaugh noting he must clear “one more hurdle” before playing Sunday. Getting either lineman back would help, but the Chargers still face a deeper issue.

Last season, the weakest links on the line were left guard Zion Johnson, center Bradley Bozeman, and guard Trey Pipkins. This year, Pipkins has moved back to right tackle and performed better. Johnson has shown some improvement, but Bozeman remains the lowest-graded center in the NFL, according to PFF.

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman defended his center this week.

"Bradley is a veteran presence,” Roman said. “He's a great leader. Makes all the calls for us. Understands the game plan like he wrote it up himself. And he's a tough, hard-nosed player."

During training camp, there were moments when Greg Roman suggested there was a competition at center between Bradley Bozeman, Zion Johnson, and Andre James. Jim Harbaugh quickly shut that down, insisting the starting five was set—the only question was whether Bozeman would line up at center or guard, and the same went for Johnson.

"Absolutely not. He's getting hit too much, too many unnecessary hits," Roman said of Herbert. "There's gonna be some. But not that many. And he can help that, too. But it starts with everybody."

Two games into the season, Herbert began to change his style by taking off and running more. Against Denver, he managed to find daylight at times, but in the Giants game his only big gain was a 24-yard run.

The interior linemen struggled to handle New York’s stunts, allowing Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns, and rookie Abdul Carter to come free and shut down Herbert before he could escape.

With Joe Alt sidelined for Sunday, changes are coming to the offensive line. Harbaugh declined to reveal the new starters.

“Just keep that to ourselves,” Harbaugh said. “No sense releasing the releasing that information, but we have a good plan, good idea of it.”

One option under consideration is moving Mekhi Becton to left tackle, if he’s cleared to play. Either way, Herbert will have a new-look group blocking for him compared to Week 1.

"Just go out there and execute and do what you've been trained to do,” Herbert said of his message to the O-Line. “Do what you're taught. They're playmakers too. They're guys that have seen big football games, guys that have played in National Championships-huge games like that. So maybe it's new to them for the NFL, but they've played in big football games before."

The Chargers will need a smart plan against the Commanders’ defense, led by Dan Quinn, who is known for dialing up pressure from multiple angles. One way Roman could counter is by leaning on quick, two-step dropbacks and fast passes. With Keenan Allen and rookie Ladd McConkey, Herbert has receivers who can separate quickly and move the chains.

That’s the exact strategy the 49ers used Thursday night against the Rams to slow down Jared Verse and their pass rush. It worked—they pulled off an upset in a game Los Angeles was favored by 8.5.

Another, and perhaps better, option is to feed rookie running back Omarion Hampton, who is coming off a career day with 128 rushing yards, 37 receiving yards, and a touchdown.

Over the last two weeks, Hampton has totaled 198 rushing yards, 96 receiving yards, and two touchdowns—294 yards of total offense.

“He keeps moving forward,” Roman said. “I think he’s on a very good trajectory. We’re bringing him into this league at a good pace. I really feel good about it, and you can start to see his growth week after week after week in a lot of different areas. There were some subtle things he did like a veteran last week that two weeks prior he wouldn’t have done that way. You saw the juice.”

Hampton has been especially effective on outside runs, an area where the Commanders’ defense ranks near the bottom in both EPA per rush and success rate.

“We’ve got to find a way to give him more opportunities,” Roman said.

The Chargers have multiple ways to attack, but with the offensive line in disarray, they must play smart. Take deep shots only when necessary, and don’t expose Herbert to more punishment.

They have the talent to win Sunday, but it’s on Roman to craft a careful game plan—because without Herbert, their chances of winning vanish.