We’re on to the second half of the 2025 NFL regular season. Week 11’s slate of matchups features key games for the playoff race in both conferences.
In the AFC, results could impact both the wild card and divisional races. Kansas City’s looking to overcome its slow start to the season by knocking off AFC West leader Denver and drawing even in the wild-card race. Los Angeles currently holds the top wild card spot in the picture and faces off against Jacksonville, who currently holds the No. 7 seed.
The Chargers have won three straight and are on the road to face the Jaguars who are fresh off a loss to the Houston Texans. For one Jaguars player, it’s a special week: rookie tight end Patrick Herbert is facing his older brother, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.
‘It’s awesome,’ Patrick said. ‘I think we kind of take it for granted sometimes looking at him and being like, ‘oh, he’s been in the league for five or six years, whatever.’ And I think it’s a big accomplishment. That’s really cool.’
He said he wasn’t thinking about potentially playing his brother later on in the regular season when he signed with the Jaguars. But it’ll be new territory for both of them.
‘I don’t think we’ve ever played on opposite teams,’ Patrick said but added that maybe they did when they played in the backyard as kids. ‘Maybe in like fifth grade, something like that. Maybe like [recreation league] basketball. That might’ve been a little bit more recently.’
Patrick went undrafted this year after his career at Oregon. He and Justin spent one season together with the Ducks in 2019 before Justin was selected No. 6 overall by the Chargers in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Patrick spent six seasons at Oregon and started six of the Ducks’ 14 games during his final season there in 2024.
Jacksonville signed him as an undrafted free agent and kept him on the practice squad following roster cuts in August. He’s one of two tight ends the Jaguars have on their practice squad along with Jordan Akins.
Barring a last-minute shakeup, Patrick will likely not be on the active roster for the game this week. If he’s at the stadium, it’ll be as a fan to see his older brother play.
He said he’s gone to him as needed during his first season in the league.
‘He’s there when I need it,’ Patrick said. ‘If I have questions for him, he’s always there. But besides that, I think it’s kind of my journey.’
