The Chargers Head to Kansas City to Write Next Chapter of Hebert/Mahomes Saga

Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers are heading to Kansas City to take on Patrick Mahomes. With each quarterback sitting at 2-2 vs. the other, Thursday will give one of them the edge in the series.

The Kansas City Chiefs have been a model franchise over the past four years, using the generational talents of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid to record trips to the AFC Title Game in each of their seasons together.

The franchise traded away superstar wide receiver and the always enigmatic, Tyreek Hill, to the Miami Dolphins this past offseason. This left many wondering aloud if the Chiefs would be able to keep pace with the best offenses in the league.

Week one in Arizona shut down those ludicrous takes. Patrick Mahomes looked as good as ever, tossing 5+ touchdowns for the sixth time in his short career. Six different players caught at least three passes, too, showing that the Chiefs offense will be fine as long as their centerpiece at quarterback roams Arrowhead.

That’s not to say that the team will go unchallenged, especially in a stacked division like the AFC West. The Raiders and Broncos have plenty to be excited about after an active offseason period, but with the two dropping their opening games, a light has been shined on the true contender for the Chief’s crown: the Los Angeles Chargers.

This is meant as no disrespect to the consummate professional that Tyrod Taylor is, but it’s impossible to imagine how different things could be for LA if they had a competent doctor. The jab heard ‘round the world resulted in a rookie Justin Herbert being thrust into the lineup… and he’s never looked back since.

The former No. 6 overall pick out of Oregon blew the league away in his first season at the helm. Herbert broke numerous rookie records and glided to Rookie of the Year honors, marking only the second time in franchise history that a Charger was bestowed the award (Don Woods, 1974).

Unfortunately, team success did not follow his individual achievements. Herbert ended the season at 6-9 as the starter, but to his credit, he led the squad to victory each of the final four weeks of the 2020 season.

In 2021, Herbert improved considerably, becoming only the ninth player in NFL history to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a single season. He set a franchise record with his 38 touchdown passes, surpassing the legendary Philip Rivers in the process.

The Chargers as a team improved in Herbert’s second season under center, coming just one game shy of qualifying for a postseason berth. It came down to the final game of the season against their divisional rivals, the Las Vegas Raiders.

Herbert and Co. got a chance to immediately avenge that loss from last season as they hosted the Raiders this past weekend. The third-year quarterback completed 26 of his 34 attempts, resulting in 279 passing yards and three touchdown tosses. Josh McDaniels tried to fight back in his Las Vegas debut, but LA was too good and came away with the all-important 24-19 victory.

With each franchise heading into their Thursday matchup with a full head of steam, it’s reasonable to expect a fair amount of fireworks during the contest. Justin Herbert himself has a little bit extra to prove every time he squares off against Patrick Mahomes.

Back during training camp before the 2021 season, a fan could be heard yelling to Mahomes that he should “be worried about Justin Herbert this year”. To which Mahomes responded with a hasty, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

This sparked an immediate conversation and led the diehard fandoms to begin throwing NSFW rants toward the other. It must be noted that Mahomes clarified that he has the utmost respect for Herbert and his comments weren’t meant to cause confrontation. But one thing NFL fans will never be guilty of is taking these types of statements at face value.

Regardless of how much of a personal rivalry there is between the two, there’s a clear organizational beef that predates either of these gentlemen. This is a result of being so familiar with each other and battling it out two times a year in the division.

In 2022, it has a much different feel to it as we approach the game. The Chiefs are still entrenched in their spot atop the division, but the Chargers have their best chance in years to play David to Kansas City’s Goliath.

Los Angeles added multiple defenders who rank among the best at their respective positions. Khalil Mack looks like a new man playing opposite Joey Bosa. Sebastian Joseph-Day is a criminally underrated interior defensive lineman. And JC Jackson has yet to take the field for the Chargers but he proved during his breakout season in New England to be a difference maker in the secondary.

Add all of this to the fact that Derwin James looks 100% healthy and at the peak of his career going into the 2022 season. The ability to lean on the defense is something that has been lacking during Herbert’s tenure, whether it be from bad injury luck or general ineffectiveness. General manager Tom Telesco addressed the unit, and early returns have been good.

Not only that, the weakest point on the offensive side of the ball was reinforced in a major way. Zion Johnson, the No. 17 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, instantly won a starting spot at guard and is helping transform a unit that is spearheaded by one of the best young players in the NFL — left tackle Rashawn Slater.

The ability to drop back without fearing for his life should help unlock the next step of Justin Herbert’s development. As will the comfort of knowing that he can live to fight another day by allowing the defense to carry their own weight rather than having it all placed on Herbert’s back.

Now, Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert are on a collision course this Thursday evening. Too often the NFL sticks uninteresting games on Thursday, but they hooked us up with an incredible showdown in Kansas City. Every AFC West divisional game means exponentially more in 2022, with all four teams having genuine playoff aspirations.

It is only week two, but this game is going to go a long way towards not only deciding the AFC West but also the way the seeding shakes out when January rolls around. Strap in your seatbelt because the next chapter in the Herbert/Mahomes story is about to be written.