Justin Herbert was on the receiving end of a dirty play during Sunday’s game between the Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Herbert was pressured on a 2nd-and-8 play midway through the second quarter and had to dump a short pass off to Chargers running back JK Dobbins. Saints defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd went to make a low tackle on Herbert and continued to bend Herbert’s leg long after the quarterback had gotten rid of the ball.
Shepherd wrapped up Herbert’s right leg and forced Herbert to the ground, at which point Chargers center Bradley Bozeman went barreling into Shepherd in response.
Dirty play by Nathan Shepherd. Bozeman rightfully responds pic.twitter.com/1Q03QOI6zA
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) October 27, 2024
You can see the full sequence:
Nathan Shepherd 100% deserved what Bradley Bozeman gave him. F that pos. Protect Justin Herbert at all costs. Bozeman is my hero. #Chargers #Saints pic.twitter.com/0s152RPaTB
— Gyda Ragnarsdottir (@GydaRagnarsdot1) October 27, 2024
Shepherd and Bozeman received offsetting personal fouls on the play. After the Chargers’ 26-8 win over the Saints, Bozeman blasted Shepherd over what appeared to be a blatant cheap shot.
“Yeah, you know, it was probably one of the dirtier plays I’ve ever seen, especially with my own eyes,” Bozeman told reporters. “To think the ball is gone for 2-3 seconds and he’s still gator-rolling, and he’s on the ground and he’s still gator-rolling. You know, just protect your quarterback no matter what. I think any other offensive lineman that was in that position would have done the exact same thing. I had to get him off of him, and I did.”
#Chargers C Bradley Bozeman on Saints DL Nathan Shepherd's hit on QB Justin Herbert, "it was probably one of the dirtier plays I've ever seen."
Bozeman added, "Protect your quarterback no matter what." pic.twitter.com/YJbbOEDcRX
— Fernando Ramirez (@RealFRamirez) October 28, 2024
The only argument that Shepherd could make is that he thought Herbert still had the ball, but it should have been pretty obvious Herbert had already thrown the pass.
The NFL will likely review the play to determine whether they believe there was intent to injure from Shepherd. A fine seems inevitable, at the least.
