5 Takeaways: What We Know About the Chargers at the Bye Week

Nov 20, 2025 at 08:00 AM

Eric Smith

Editorial Director

The Chargers are 7-4 with six games to go in what has been a wild 2025 season to date.

After the bye week, the Bolts will host the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13. Kickoff from SoFi Stadium is at 1:25 p.m. (PT).

Here are five takeaways on the Chargers at the bye.

1. Herbert is playing like an MVP

The Chargers enter the bye week with an offensive EPA per play of 0.010, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranks tied for 13th in the league.

That's more than respectable given the fact that the Chargers have been devastated by injuries to that unit, especially along the offensive line and at running back.

Rashawn Slater didn't play a single snap this season and Joe Alt, who was brilliant in six games, is also now out for the season. Mekhi Becton has shuffled in and out of the lineup while the Bolts have also rotated multiple players at right guard.

Omarion Hampton hasn't played since Week 5 and is on Injured Reserve (but could return next week). Najee Harris is out for the year while Hassan Haskins has been out since Week 7.

The constant through it all? Justin Herbert has lifted the Bolts on his back for much of the season.

While his traditional stats (2,691 passing yards with 19 touchdowns) look solid, his advanced numbers appear average (Herbert's 0.083 EPA per play is 18th among quarterbacks).

But no other quarterback has been pressured as often as Herbert, who has had someone in his face a whopping 182 times so far this season.

Herbert was magical in comeback wins over the Broncos and Dolphins and exceptional in victories over the Chiefs and Vikings.

If the Chargers are going to make the playoffs — more on that below — Herbert will likely need to help will the Bolts to the finish line.

2. The defense has been inconsistent

Defensively, the Bolts EPA per play is -0.035, which ranks 12th across the NFL.

A year ago, Jesse Minter's unit was fifth at -0.068, roughly double the amount of 2025.

The Chargers defense has been downright dominant in some games (Vikings and Steelers) but is coming off a sour note against the Jaguars.

The group did deal with injuries to date with players such as Khalil Mack, Denzel Perryman, Tarheeb Still and Da'Shawn Hand.

But if the group can get and stay healthy, they are going to need to rise to the occasion down the stretch given the offense's struggles at times.

It feels as if the Chargers formula for the final six games is going to be this:

Get an early lead and let the defense cook by harassing the opposing quarterback with a relentless pass rush of Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, Odafe Oweh and Bud Dupree.

The opposite happened in Jacksonville and we saw how that played out.

Minter's group has the potential to be among the league's top units. They showed it last season and in spurts in 2025, but will need more consistency down the stretch.

3. The turnover battle

A big reason why the Bolts won 11 games in Jim Harbaugh's first season was the turnover differential.

The Chargers finished plus-12, tied for the third-best mark in the league as they committed just nine giveaways and had 21 takeaways.

With six games left, the Bolts are down in 17th place with a minus-1 turnover differential. They have 12 takeaways but 13 giveaways and have already surpassed last year's tally in that area.

Some of those giveaways have been fluky, such as multiple Herbert batted passes that have been intercepted. But some have been pretty cut and dry, too.

Defensively, the takeaways have been a little boom or bust. The Bolts have tallied three takeaways in three games (Raiders, Dolphins and Steelers), but have just three takeaways in the other eight games.

Harbaugh's core philosophies will always center around being a tough team who wins in the trenches and makes themselves hard to beat by winning in key areas such as on third downs and with takeaways.

In 11 games this season, the Chargers have won the turnover battle three times and lost it five times while being even in three games.

The Bolts playoff push would do wonders if they can continually win this area in November and December.