The San Francisco 49ers won’t have to wait until the regular season to get a look at Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers’ first-team offense.
Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed on August 18 that Herbert will start Thursday night’s preseason matchup against San Francisco at SoFi Stadium. Harbaugh also said Los Angeles’ starters are scheduled to play one series before giving way to the backups.
That may amount to only a handful of snaps, but it gives the 49ers defense a legitimate early test against one of the NFL’s established quarterbacks — and its first game-speed exposure to Herbert in new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s system.
“Starters are going to play a series then they’re going to come out. The backups will play the rest of the game,” Harbaugh said, according to the Chargers’ official website.
The 49ers and Chargers are scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. PT on Thursday, August 20.
Justin Herbert Will Get First Live Reps in Mike McDaniel’s Offense
There is another layer to Herbert taking the field against San Francisco.
Thursday will be his first live game action in McDaniel’s new Chargers offense. McDaniel took over as Los Angeles’ offensive coordinator this offseason after four seasons as the Miami Dolphins’ head coach, making Herbert’s transition into the system one of the Chargers’ central offseason storylines.
Harbaugh described the preseason snaps as a chance to rehearse the operation before the games count.
“A real dress rehearsal for Game 1, not wanting those first snaps to be game one,” Harbaugh said.
For San Francisco, that means the opening series could carry more value than a typical preseason possession.
Even if the 49ers don’t counter with every member of their own starting defense, whichever group is on the field will get to deal with Herbert’s arm talent, Los Angeles’ first-team personnel and the communication demands created by McDaniel’s offense at game speed.
Herbert is coming off a 2025 season in which he threw for 3,727 yards and 26 touchdowns while adding a career-high 498 rushing yards. He also faced a league-high 263 pressures, according to the Chargers.
The quarterback has historically seen very little preseason action. Thursday will mark just the second consecutive year in which Herbert has appeared in an exhibition game. He made his preseason debut in 2025, completing two of five passes against the Los Angeles Rams, including gains of 16 and 29 yards.
Chargers Matchup Could Give 49ers an Early Preview of Week 15
The 49ers’ look at Herbert also has relevance beyond August.
San Francisco and Los Angeles held a joint practice at the Chargers’ facility on August 18, two days before the preseason game.
And this won’t be the final meeting between the teams.
The Chargers are scheduled to host the 49ers again at SoFi Stadium in Week 15 on Thursday Night Football, giving San Francisco an unusually detailed preseason introduction to an opponent it will see in a meaningful game later in the year.
Nobody is going to empty the playbook in August, and one Herbert series won’t provide a complete scouting report on McDaniel’s offense.
But between the joint practice and Thursday’s opening possession, the 49ers will at least come away with firsthand experience against Herbert and the Chargers’ new offensive operation.
That is considerably more useful than spending an entire preseason night chasing backups.
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