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NFL execs believe Justin Herbert looks ‘confused and overwhelmed’ in new offense

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Cite

Murray, T. L. (2026, September 30). NFL execs believe Justin Herbert looks ‘confused and overwhelmed’ in new offense. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/30/sports/chargers-qb-justin-herbert-looks-lost-in-mike-mcdaniel-offense/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-09-30 · by Thomas L. Murray

Quick Summary

ESPN's NFL Insider Dan Graziano reports that an anonymous evaluator believes Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert looks "confused and overwhelmed" in the new offensive system under coordinator Mike McDaniel. After three consecutive losses this season, Herbert has completed only 59.1% of his passes for 627 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions, far from his expected performance after the team's offseason changes aimed at bolstering their offense. The article highlights concerns that the current roster might not align well with McDaniel’s offensive scheme, which requires quick decision-making from quarterbacks.
Written by AI on 2026-09-30, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In NFL Week 4, ESPN columnist Dan Graziano reported that an anonymous NFL executive believes Justin Herbert, quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers, looks confused and overwhelmed in the new offense under Mike McDaniel, who became the team's offensive coordinator over the offseason. Despite high expectations, Herbert has completed only 59.1% of his passes this season for 627 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions. The executive noted that everything seems "difficult and exhausting" for Herbert, who typically relies on deep throws and play action but now faces a scheme requiring quick decision-making. This decline comes after McDaniel's Miami Dolphins offense fell from sixth in the NFL in 2023 to 19th in 2024 and 26th in 2025, raising concerns about his ability to maintain offensive success with different teams.

Written for “Justin Herbert Offense Struggles” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Justin Herbert Offense Struggles
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Toronto Star
Hedges 1 of 41 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe different events involving different NFL teams and players.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 12 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss related issues with Justin Herbert's performance but describe different aspects and perspectives from different times.”
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 17 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes an evaluation of Justin Herbert's performance based on reports from NFL insiders and evaluators, while Article B provides a prediction and analysis for an upcoming game in Week 4, discussing the broader context of his struggles.”
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 22 claims Outlet record 64/100
“While both articles discuss the struggles of Justin Herbert and Mike McDaniel's offensive system for the Chargers, they cover different time points and outcomes (three games lost vs. four games lost).”
Toronto Star
Hedges 1 of 29 claims Outlet record 64/100
“Article A covers Harbaugh's stance on potential changes to the offense after a recent loss, while Article B discusses an anonymous NFL evaluator's opinion on Justin Herbert's performance in the new offensive system.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-30 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 16360 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Thomas L. Murray
170 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Thomas L. Murray
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 170 articles by Thomas L. Murray →

Topics

Bills ESPN NFL NFL Week 4 the Los Angeles Chargers

Subjects

Herbert PERSON · 6× Graziano PERSON · 3× Bills ORG · 2× McDaniel PERSON · 2× NFL ORG · 2× Dan Graziano PERSON · 1× ESPN ORG · 1× Jeremy Fowler PERSON · 1× Justin Herbert PERSON · 1× the Los Angeles Chargers ORG · 1×

Narrative

“The run game can’t get going, the receivers haven’t taken the jumps we were promised, and Herbert has looked confused and overwhelmed by whatever it is he’s being asked to do out there,” Graziano wrote.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-30
🔮 The columnist went on to state that over the offseason, Herbert was expected to thrive after the team acquired new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.

Claims (21 extracted, 0 hedged)

Everything is spiraling downward for the Los Angeles Chargers. asserted
Everything → spiral → Chargers
Particularly due to the regression of what was supposed to be a revamped offense. asserted
what → suppose → regression
ESPN NFL Insider Dan Graziano wrote in his NFL Week 4 intel, alongside Jeremy Fowler, that an anonymous NFL evaluator told him quarterback Justin Herbert looks lost on the field. asserted
Herbert → write → field
“Everything looks ‘difficult and exhausting,” Graziano wrote. asserted
Graziano → look → ?
The columnist went on to state that over the offseason, Herbert was expected to thrive after the team acquired new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel. asserted
team → go → McDaniel
But “it’s clearly not clicking.” asserted
it → click → ?
A four-year stint as the head coach of the Dolphins, McDaniel was once the perceived mastermind behind a Miami offense that finished sixth in the NFL in 2023. asserted
that → perceive → 2023
But during his final two seasons, the offense’s production rapidly declined, finishing 19th in 2024 and 26th in 2025. asserted
production → decline → 2025
For Herbert, the new McDaniel scheme is infamous for quarterbacks having to react quickly and rely on having a quick release. asserted
quarterbacks → have → release
Herbert has spent most of his career throwing the ball deep and relying on play action. asserted
Herbert → spend → action
This year, he’s struggled immensely under center, completing 59.1% of his passes for 627 yards, with three touchdowns, and four interceptions. asserted
he → struggle → touchdowns
The Chargers offense had every opportunity to run away with a victory in Sunday’s 24-16 loss to the Bills. asserted
offense → have → Bills
A game where the defense forced five turnovers. asserted
defense → force → turnovers
Los Angeles nearly matched Buffalo in every offensive statistical category in the Week 3 matchup, but it was their struggles in the red zone and inability to get the running game going that cost them. asserted
that → match → them
“The run game can’t get going, the receivers haven’t taken the jumps we were promised, and Herbert has looked confused and overwhelmed by whatever it is he’s being asked to do out there,” Graziano wrote. asserted
Graziano → go → jumps
It wasn’t a vintage performance like we’ve grown accustomed to seeing of Herbert. asserted
we → grow → Herbert
He completed 17 of 27 passes for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception. asserted
He → complete → touchdown
But still, it was enough to outperform early MVP favorite Josh Allen, who had two interceptions and a fumble. asserted
who → outperform → interceptions
For Herbert, it was the timing of his lone turnover that hurt the most as he fired a laser towards the end zone, only for it to be intercepted by safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. asserted
it → hurt → Johnson
The Bills scored after the interception and would take a lead they’d never give up. asserted
they → score → lead
Graziano finished his piece by writing that there is concern that the “personnel doesn’t fit what the offense is built to do.” asserted
offense → finish → what
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