When the New York Giants square off against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 14, their toughest challenge will be stopping quarterback Justin Herbert.
The 23-year-old Herbert leads the AFC in touchdown passes (27) and is quickly establishing himself as one of the best in football. He has elite arm talent and is big enough to make bringing him down difficult.
Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham likens him to a hybrid of Patrick Mahomes and Ben Roethlisberger.
“I would say size-wise probably in terms of height and stuff, it’s like Ben (Roethlisberger) when you’re dealing with Ben. In terms of arm talent, probably like him, (Patrick) Mahomes,” Graham told reporters on Thursday. “Those guys that can just throw the ball a mile and he throws it on a rope and pretty accurate.”
That is one heck of a compliment.
So, how do the Giants stop (or slow down) someone as dynamic as Herbert? And how do they do it on the road in front of rowdy fans?
“The key is, and I think a lot of defensive coaches think like this . . . keep pressure on them the whole game,” Graham said.
That’s easier said than done for this Giants defense, which has only gotten short bursts of success out of their pass rushers. Compounding matters, the Chargers often go for it on fourth down. That will potentially make this game a little longer and a little tougher for Graham’s unit.
“You have to be mindful. You have to be mindful. You have to be mindful on second down too because you don’t know when they’re going to sprinkle in the tempo. I would say there’s a few situations where they like it the most,” Graham added.
“They get a big play first-and-10 within a series and boom, tempo. Sometimes to keep you out of your exotics on third down, they’ll go from second to third down, which is a good strategy right there. You’ve got to prepare for that, so whether it’s from third to fourth down, the key is for me as the coordinator, us as coaches, is to have calls that fit the situation. Potentially, you might have a longer list of calls, but really all the same calls, but like you’ve got to do it out of different groupings. You’ve just got to be aware of that.”
Graham has faced several big challenges over the past two seasons and his defense has answered the bell more times than not. Can they do it again on Sunday against Herbert & Co.?
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