Chargers’ Herbert real handful

Strong-armed QB is quickly proving adept at adapting

For the second consecutive week, the Raiders increased their blitz percentage by sending an extra pass rusher on 33.8 percent of the Steelers’ dropbacks in last Sunday’s game.

It pleased a lot of their fans, who have been pining for more aggressiveness from defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.

Word to the wise when it comes to the Chargers, who host the Raiders on Sunday at Sofi Stadium: When it comes to turning up the heat on star quarterback Justin Herbert, be careful what you wish for.

Just ask the Vikings, who sent extra defenders on 86 percent of Herbert’s 47 dropbacks in an attempt to rattle the Chargers’ rifle-armed quarterback last Sunday.

Only it didn’t work. It completely backfired, in fact, as Herbert shredded the Vikings for 310 yards and three touchdowns while completing 34 of his 40 pass attempts against blitzes in a 28-24 victory.

So while the Raiders might want to try to get after Herbert, they better be careful when they do and how many times they do it. And they better be sure to complete the task by either forcing him into rushed throws or taking him to the ground.

As he showed against the Vikings, he can make teams pay if they send extra players after him.

“It starts with having a good plan,” Herbert said. “We felt tight in our protections and making sure that everything was blocked up. We watched a ton of film and saw whatever they were going to bring. Anytime you feel like you’re prepared, you’re going to play better. As long as we’re putting together a good plan protectionwise, that gives us a shot up front to do some special things.”

Between his vision and arm strength, Herbert is a handful in any situation. But when teams take away one or two pass defenders to accentuate their pass rush, they sometimes are playing right into his hands.

“He has access to the entire field,” Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said. “Big arm and can throw it anywhere on the field.”

Herbert has yet to turn the ball over while completing 90 of 121 passes for 939 yards and six touchdowns.

“I’m not a quarterbacks coach, so I don’t know how they describe the different ways,” Graham said. “He just gets the ball anywhere on the field. You’re seeing his intelligence in terms of at the line of scrimmage, they’re going more with the tempo and different things. He’s getting more and more comfortable, and that comes with experience.”

Now in his fourth season and in possession of a new five-year contract extension worth up to $262.5 million with up to $218.7 million guaranteed, Herbert appears fully in charge of everything on the field.

“You’re seeing a quarterback out there who’s comfortable making decisions,” Graham said. “They are giving him more responsibility. He can make all the throws; he can hurt you with his legs. He’s a really dynamic player.”

Not that his play has translated into great success on the field. The Chargers have made the playoffs once in his first three seasons. Last season, they blew a 27-point lead in a 31-30 playoff loss to the Jaguars.

The Chargers are 1-2 this season, and Herbert hopes the win over the Vikings is a step in the right direction.

“We all stepped up big time,” he said. “It’s not going to always be pretty.”

Bruce Kluckhohn The Associated Press Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert looks to throw deep in the first half of last Sunday’s 28-24 victory over the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.