Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is one of the NFL’s brightest young stars. He’s proven that over the course of 28 weeks in a two-year period, amassing numbers that literally no other quarterback has to begin their career.
Last season, he set rookie records with 31 passing touchdowns and eight 300-yard games on his way to the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. This season, the 23-year-old is fourth in the NFL in passing yards, third in touchdowns, second in QBR and tied for first with five game-winning drives.
Herbert’s +1300 odds to win league MVP are fifth-best on Tipico Sportsbook.
Milestone ✅ – Justin Herbert@chargers | #BoltUp | #NYGvsLAC
🤝 @ArrayBC pic.twitter.com/5LzicOD4OD
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) December 12, 2021
He’s even had signature plays, like this absurd touchdown pass Sunday against the New York Giants.
Undeniable arm talent.
This Justin Herbert pass traveled 63.8 yards in the air.
(second longest completion of the season, per @NextGenStats)pic.twitter.com/mWQkmNFftB
— NFL (@NFL) December 13, 2021
The only thing missing from Herbert’s early-career resume is a signature division win with playoff implications. He’ll have an opportunity to check that box Thursday against the Kansas City Chiefs in what is probably the biggest game of his career to date. The Chargers are 3.5-point home dogs in the closest thing yet to a must-win in the Herbert era.
Just a game back of the Chiefs in the AFC West, the Chargers have +200 odds to win the division title. A loss would put them two games back with just three games remaining, essentially locking them out of contention. It would also put them at 8-6, potentially knocking them from the top of the Wild Card standings and into a jumble with six other teams entering this week with six losses.
Adding to the game’s importance is the impact a loss would have on the Chiefs. The reigning conference champions would surrender their division lead and give the Chargers a season-sweep tiebreaker after losing to them in Week 3.
Herbert was amazing in that earlier matchup, throwing for four touchdowns, and has actually performed quite well in the division, going 5-4 combined against the Chiefs, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders in his career. None of those games carried the weight and importance of Thursday’s game, however.
A win in a game of this magnitude, on national television, against a Super Bowl and MVP-winning quarterback on the other side, not only puts the Chargers in great position to clinch their first division title since 2009, but also signals to the rest of the football world that Herbert is ready to compete for more than big numbers.
