Herb’s best Chargers’ pick-me-up

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JUSTIN HERBERT is used to being thrown in at the deep end and relishes the prospect of proving people wrong.

The Los Angeles Chargers quarterback stepped in minutes before kick-off a year ago when Tyrod Taylor went down injured in warm-ups as they prepared to take on the defending Super Bowl champions, Kansas City.

Fresh out of college, Herbert (above) made his professional debut and performed admirably against the Chiefs in a 23-20 overtime loss, as his opposite number Patrick Mahomes steered KC home.

The Chargers avenged that in the return game at Arrowhead Stadium but when Mahomes was rested.

The Chiefs are many people’s pick to win their second Super Bowl in three years but Herbert is hoping to stop them in their tracks tonight in the Arrowhead atmosphere. He said: “There’ll be a lot more fans. They had about 15,000 [last year] with Covid restrictions. I’m assuming it will be a lot louder.

“It’s a great opportunity. This is what you dream of, playing against recent Super Bowl champions, going out there in a hostile environment and playing our football.

“They’re an incredible team so we’ll everything we’ve got.

“Patrick is incredibly smart. He is able to make every throw on the field and you can never out-run his arm.”

Herbert suffered an agonising last-gasp loss last week against Dallas and wants an immediate response from his team.

He said: “Experience is huge but I believe in the guys. I know that we’ll be better. I don’t think there’s pressure.

“Our first two games are not an accurate representation of our offence.

“We can be better. The guys believe that and so do the coaches.”