Chargers lineman defends Justin Herbert by BLASTing the Saints defender

NFL head coaches usually hate to see their players take late hits, but Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh will likely give offensive lineman Bradley Bozeman a pass for a vicious shot on a New Orleans Saints defender.

During the first half, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw a pass while Saints defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd held onto his leg.

But even after Herbert released the ball, Shepard refused to release Herbert's leg. The defender continued to try to pull Herbert to the ground, which could have easily resulted in injury to the star quarterback.

Chargers center Bradley Bozeman saw the dirty tackle and wasn't going to let it go unpunished. Bozeman flew in and planted a bomb that hit Shepard late.

The referees awarded personal foul penalties against both Shepard and Bozeman, so the retaliation did not harm the Chargers.

There's a lot to like about this entire scene. First, you love watching a player beat for his quarterback like Bozeman did here. Dirty hits on Justin Herbert cannot be tolerated and this shows some toughness and togetherness on the part of the Chargers offense.

Los Angeles Chargers lineman Bradley Bozeman made a MAJOR exception to a tackle attempt by Saints defensive back Nathan Shepherd on quarterback Justin Herbert.

(Getty Images)

Second, it's funny to see Herbert then grab Bozeman and try to hold him back, seemingly saying, “I appreciate you, but I'm fine, let's not take an extra penalty here.”

Chargers and NFL fans were unanimously on Bozeman's side in this game.

Bozeman will likely be fined by the NFL for this hit, but don't be surprised if Justin Herbert happily picks up the tab for his teammate.

Quarterbacks love knowing that the guys in the trenches have their back, and Bradley Bozeman certainly has Justin Herbert's back.