The Los Angeles Chargers walked away from Sunday’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a different kind of frustration. It had nothing to do with play-calling, field position, or late-game execution. What bothered them most was the physical punishment Justin Herbert absorbed from start to finish.
Several moments raised immediate questions about how he was being protected and whether the officiating crew managed the game’s intensity the way the rulebook demands. Jim Harbaugh addressed the issue bluntly after the final whistle. His tone was measured, but the underlying message was unmistakable.
Harbaugh praised Herbert for his toughness, though that was only a prelude to what he really wanted to get across. His concern centered on the low hits Herbert took throughout the game, including sequences he described as being “hi-lowed” and struck low on multiple occasions. HC even hinted that he had a stronger opinion but would not say it publicly.
The 61-year-old coach said, “He’s as tough as they come…I have another opinion on that, but I don’t want to say it publicly,” in defense of the franchise QB. Per Chargers beat reporter Alex Insdorf, Harbaugh also added, “He got hi-lowed, hit low a couple times. I think that needs to be looked at,” in regards to the refs.
When a coach who rarely goes after officiating feels compelled to speak this directly, it is a strong indicator of how seriously he views the situation.
What Happened During the Chargers vs. Steelers’ Sunday Night Game?
Sunday’s matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers spiraled into a uniquely volatile stretch of plays that left Justin Herbert absorbing punishment far beyond what any franchise quarterback should expect. According to the Yahoo Sports breakdown, the most alarming moment came early when Herbert took a low shot from Steelers defensive tackle Keeanu Benton while being wrapped up by defensive lineman Nick Herbig up top.
The combined force drove Herbert awkwardly into the turf and his ankle twisted under him as he hit the ground. He immediately grabbed at the leg and even though he stayed in the game, his discomfort was obvious. This wasn’t routine contact. It was a classic lower-body stress play. And it was the type that can go from “tweak” to multi-week injury in seconds.
The physical tone didn’t settle. In another sequence, Herbert again found himself hit in a pattern that flirted dangerously close to a hi-low scenario. Alex Highsmith applied pressure up high while a second defender closed low. It forced Herbert into an unnatural collapse. These are the exact impacts the league has worked to erase from the sport because quarterbacks can’t physically brace for simultaneous high-and-low contact. Knees, ankles, and hips absorb torque that they’re never designed to take.
The chaos extended beyond Herbert. Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston was bodyslammed to the turf by Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson. It was a hit that drew instant outrage from the Chargers’ sideline and highlighted how quickly the officiating crew seemed to lose control of the physicality.
Every piece of the sequence reinforced the same theme: contact was escalating, officials weren’t reining it in, and Los Angeles was paying the price.
Herbert’s statistical output reflected the grind he endured. As Rotowire noted, he delivered a classic “game manager” performance despite the constant pressure. With left tackle Joe Alt already on injured reserve due to an ankle injury, the protection issues were glaring as Herbert was sacked five times. One of those first-half sacks caused the ankle twist that required immediate taping on the sideline, per ESPN’s Kris Rhim. Even so, Herbert returned without any visible mobility limitations in the second half, a relief for anyone monitoring his health and the Chargers’ season outlook.
What made this stretch so infuriating for Jim Harbaugh is that his quarterback wasn’t just pressured. He was targeted low, bent awkwardly on impact, and forced into repeated ankle-heavy collisions on a night where the offensive line was overwhelmed. These weren’t isolated accidents. They were a pattern, which was a dangerous one, that set off every alarm a head coach can have about his franchise quarterback’s long-term stability.
Herbert now moves into next week with the benefit of facing the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 28th-ranked pass defense on Nov. 16, 2025, before the Chargers hit their Week 12 bye.
But that future opportunity doesn’t erase what happened in Pittsburgh. Harbaugh saw his quarterback face unnecessary risk. And he made it clear afterward that someone needs to answer for it.
Why This Became a Flashpoint?
This entire sequence became a flashpoint because it strikes directly at the heart of the league’s priorities. When a franchise quarterback takes repeated low shots in a single game, it becomes more than a tough day in the pocket. It becomes a direct test of whether the NFL is actually enforcing the protections it publicly champions.
Lower-body hits are the collisions that coaches fear the most. They are quiet, they happen fast, and they can end a quarterback’s season before anyone processes what happened.
Harbaugh’s frustration did not come from a single questionable tackle. It was triggered by a run of plays that created a clear pattern. Several low or high-low contacts occurred without a penalty, and that changes how a defense behaves.
Once defenders sense that the officials are not drawing a firm line, the physicality ramps up. Harbaugh understood that, and his comments reflected a calculated message rather than an emotional reaction.
There is also the reality of what this means inside the Chargers’ building. Herbert is the foundation of their entire operation. The scheme, the roster construction, the financial plan, and their competitive window all depend on him being healthy.
When he starts taking repeated shots to the legs, the coaching staff has no choice but to evaluate everything. Protection calls, communication, how they slide the pocket, and whether certain play designs expose him more than necessary will all be reexamined. Harbaugh knows exactly how quickly a minor ankle tweak can evolve into a lingering issue.
The final layer is the league-wide implication. If a quarterback of Herbert’s caliber takes multiple low hits without any officiating response, teams across the NFL will question whether the league’s stated safety standards are being upheld consistently.
Harbaugh’s comments effectively force the league to make a decision. Either the officials enforce the protections as written, or the league admits it is not applying those protections evenly.