Justin Herbert gives Chargers rare opportunity against Chiefs

INGLEWOOD — Chargers backmost Justin Herbert thanked a newsman for mentioning his occurrence successful 4 prime-time games earlier deflecting the praise toward his coaches and teammates.

“I consciousness similar the coaches person done a large occupation of putting america successful a presumption to person success,” Herbert responded Wednesday.

The second-year backmost has a 3-1 vocation grounds successful prime-time games with a completion percent of 67%, 12 passing touchdowns and 1 interception.

Herbert plays good nether the spotlight and avoids idiosyncratic attention, but helium couldn’t flight it this week acknowledgment to his beardown throwing arm, which was described arsenic a howitzer by Chargers wide receiver Jalen Guyton.

Herbert thrust himself backmost into the MVP speech past week erstwhile helium launched a wondrous walk that traveled 63 yards successful the aerial with a bent clip of 3.24 seconds earlier hitting Guyton successful stride for a 59-yard touchdown against the New York Giants.

He displayed unreal limb spot and accuracy portion throwing connected the tally aft taking a deed from Giants linebacker Lorenzo Carter. National pundits raved astir Herbert’s limb spot and friends and relatives reached retired to Herbert to praise the play being dubbed arsenic “The Throw of the Year.”

But Herbert didn’t look anxious to sermon the memorable play nor his 2nd consecutive AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. He was astir apt relieved nary 1 asked astir the MVP contention with frontrunners Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.

Herbert is focused connected the Kansas City Chiefs and Thursday night’s AFC West showdown astatine SoFi Stadium. They excessively person a dynamic young backmost with elite limb spot who tends to play good successful premier time.

Chiefs backmost Patrick Mahomes already has an MVP grant and a Super Bowl ring, but Herbert is garnering his stock of the spotlight with a dependable bid of awesome touchdown passes.

The Chiefs (9-4) mightiness not beryllium arsenic fired up arsenic they were aft seeing the Las Vegas Raiders stomp connected their logo past week earlier crushing them 48-9, but they’re good alert of the praise directed astatine Herbert and volition beryllium motivated to punctual a nationalist assemblage that their backmost is better.

The Chargers (8-5) apt aren’t acrophobic with the Herbert-Mahomes matchup, due to the fact that a aureate accidental has presented itself, 1 that astir apt wasn’t expected to get this soon nether first-year Coach Brandon Staley.

First spot successful the AFC West volition beryllium connected the enactment Thursday nighttime with the victor gaining the wrong way toward the part crown with 3 games near successful the regular play (after this one). The Chiefs are the five-time defending champions and the Chargers haven’t won the part since 2009.

“We person afloat respect for this team,” Staley said. “Our absorption is connected however we request to play this crippled and what it is going to instrumentality from us. That’s wherever our absorption is going to be. We cognize that it’s a large accidental connected ‘Thursday Night Football,’ successful beforehand of the full world. That’s exciting, but that’s much external.

“What’s interior is the Kansas City Chiefs, and then, however the Los Angeles Chargers are going to play, however we’re going to play. That’s wherever our absorption has been the past mates of days.”

Staley’s Chargers didn’t observe excessively hard erstwhile they defeated the Chiefs astatine Arrowhead Stadium successful Week 3 due to the fact that they knew the Chiefs would yet benignant retired their issues and beryllium successful the premix erstwhile it matters most. The Chiefs person won six consecutive games, fueled by a antiaircraft turnaround with erstwhile Chargers borderline rusher Melvin Ingram among those providing a boost.

Chargers information Derwin James declined to telephone the September triumph against the Chiefs a connection crippled due to the fact that helium knew the Chiefs were scheduled to travel to SoFi Stadium aboriginal successful the season. If the Chargers expanse the play bid and determination atop the part standings successful Week 15, that surely would marque a statement.

The Chargers person respect for the Chiefs’ resume, but they took an assertive attack successful the triumph astatine Arrowhead Stadium by converting cardinal 4th downs and forcing 4 turnovers.

The Chargers volition apt request different assertive crippled program to bushed the Chiefs a 2nd clip and perchance extremity their reign atop the division. That anticipation seemed bleak a fewer weeks agone erstwhile the Chargers were 6-5 aft a unsmooth 2-4 stretch.

Herbert has since elevated his crippled and the defence made drastic improvements during a crossroads matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Herbert attacked the Bengals downfield and the Chargers sacked Joe Burrow six times successful the roadworthy victory.

They followed the awesome triumph by taking attraction of concern against the struggling Giants past week. It was different measurement guardant for a franchise that has a estimation for playing successful one-score games against astir opponents, nary substance their record.

The Chargers’ starters played constricted snaps successful the blowout triumph against the Giants and didn’t person to question earlier facing the Chiefs astatine location connected a abbreviated week.

The Chargers find themselves successful an perfect concern with a roster that mightiness beryllium adjacent afloat spot if James, moving backmost Austin Ekeler and cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. are cleared to play. Staley expressed optimism for the 3 players dealing with injuries and called them game-time decisions.

They’ll decidedly beryllium without stud rookie near tackle Rashawn Slater, who tested affirmative for COVID-19. It’s ironic that the Chargers’ violative enactment extent could marque oregon interruption their 2021 season.

Poor violative enactment play, costly injuries, blown leads, missed field-goal attempts and one-score losses person each played a relation successful wherefore the Chargers haven’t won the part successful 12 years.

Staley has rapidly helped hole immoderate of those issues and has the defence successful bushed aft a unsmooth fewer months. Now they’re successful request of 1 elite show from Herbert and 1 prime show from backup near tackle Trey Pipkins to yet surpass the Chiefs this precocious successful the season.

If the Chargers suffer to the Chiefs and autumn 2 games down them successful the standings, past the champion consolation prize is simply a wild-card playoff berth, which would beryllium a bully accomplishment for a first-year caput manager and a franchise that hasn’t made the postseason since 2018.

But the Chargers person created the perfect concern to dethrone the mighty Chiefs. It’s clip to get greedy due to the fact that part titles don’t travel casual successful the AFC West.

“We’ve had immoderate ups and downs this year, but I deliberation that we’re peaking astatine the close time,” Chargers borderline rusher Joey Bosa said.