Chargers QB Justin Herbert Sets Franchise Record During Broncos Victory
The Chargers offense faced third down and three from the Broncos 45-yard line. Justin Herbert took the snap and saw Mike Williams come open. He threw a dime to a diving Williams, who rolled into the end zone.
That touchdown put the Chargers up 34-6 over the Broncos, but it also meant another record broken by Herbert. This time it was the most touchdowns in a single season by a Chargers quarterback.
Philip Rivers had thrown 34 in 2008. Herbert now has 35 on the season, and he did it in 16 games.
"I thought it was just a big play for us, especially at that time during the game," Herbert said. "The corner kind of sat on him, Mike released inside on him, got to his landmark, got enough width on it, and made a great catch. For us to be able to go down there and score as quickly as we did, I thought it was huge for our team."
Herbert quickly sprinted down the field and tackled Williams in excitement. Not to celebrate the record but to celebrate the touchdown play with his teammate.
SoFi Stadium announced the record being broken by Herbert, and the video board showed him, but he tried to move around to hide from the camera.
"The defense was still out there, so I wanted to give them all of the attention," Herbert said. "I think it is a huge accomplishment, but it doesn't get done without my teammates; the receivers, tight ends, and especially the offensive line that has done an incredible job of protecting me all year."
That is who Justin Herbert is.
He doesn't care about the accolades or awards but just winning football games. The people around him, like his teammates, fans, and admirers of his game, celebrate it.
"When you think about the caliber of players that have played for this franchise, I think it says an awful lot," Staley said. "Justin has worked extremely hard to earn that record. It's not a coincidence that these records are happening for him; it's because of the type of person he is, the type of competitor he is, and the type of player that he is."
The Chargers have had Dan Fouts, Philip Rivers, Stan Humphries, John Hadl, and Drew Brees under center for the team.
Humphries accomplished taking the team to its only Super Bowl appearance. Fouts lit up the scoreboard with his high-powered offense that was cutting edge. Rivers played on a torn ACL in the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots and played in 236 straight games for the franchise.
There are some good ones.
"I think it's special because I was a Chargers fan growing up," Herbert explained. "I knew about all of those guys. I watched them all. They're football legends. To be able to be even in the same conversation with them is a huge honor. We're not done yet. We still have a big game coming up on Sunday. We're going to need to have a good week of practice heading into it."
The crazy part about Herbert's latest accomplishment is that there is still so much room to grow for him as a quarterback. He is still working on mechanics, footwork, and even vision.
Herbert has now scored 74 total touchdowns for the franchise (66 passing and eight rushing). Next weekend, he faces the biggest game of his career when they play a "win and in" game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
"I think that the guy is improving in all aspects as a player," Staley explained. "As a leader, I think this guy is really finding his way within our team. The example, the impact that he has on our team, that he has on me, he really does a tremendous job of setting the example every single day, and that's very, very important within a football team, within an organization. We are really proud of him and, certainly, happy for his record."
Big Play Roberts
The Chargers didn't make any trades before the trade deadline, but they did make two big moves when they signed returner Andre Roberts and kicker Dustin Hopkins.
On Sunday against the Broncos, Roberts got things going off the bat when he took the opening kick 47-yards to set the offense up at their 45-yard line. That gave the offense momentum and scored a touchdown on their opening drive.
"This guy, besides the production as a returner, he has just brought a level of professionalism to our team with a really young special teams unit. His level of professionalism, and what he's been able to create from a culture standpoint, and then, the production on the field — you guys saw a couple of weeks ago against Kansas City what he did for us, you saw today, opening up the game, and then, obviously, being able to finish one later — it's been a huge lift for our football team," Staley explained. "He's one of us. He's the type of guy that you love seeing every single day. I'm really proud of him. He got a game ball today."
Roberts started the Chiefs game the same way, except he returned that one to the Chiefs 24-yard line. He has been a difference-maker for this team since being signed.
Special teams coach Derius Swinton kept saying during his Friday press conferences, "he is close to breaking one." Well, he did at the start of the fourth quarter of the Broncos game. He fielded the kickoff a yard in and took off 101-yards to the opposing end zone. He had critical blocks from Chris Rumph, Jalen Guyton, Stephen Anderson, and Cole Christiansen.
"That was outstanding," Chargers receiver Keenan Allen said. "I have not seen that in my NFL career the Chargers, so that was amazing."
Roberts is the first Chargers player to return a kickoff for a touchdown since Micheal Spurlock did it in December 2012. His 101-yards is the fourth-most in team history. Roberts also has four returns of 45-yards or more in his nine games as a Charger.
"It was just really cool to see just those guys have success because they've been having success here and there but never had that full one all the way down to the end zone and finally got it done," Chargers running back Austin Ekeler said. "Dre (Andre) coming in amazing, amazing pickup by our GM and coaching staff."
