How a playoff loss fueled Justin Herbert in season-opening win over Chiefs: ‘A different 10’

SÃO PAULO, Brazil — He hears it and he sees it. He will not respond with words because that is not who he is, not how he was raised, not how he conducts himself. He will respond the only way he knows how: on the field.

Consider this Justin Herbert’s official statement.

The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-21, in Friday night’s season opener. The win ends a seven-game losing streak for the Chargers against one of their biggest rivals. And they were led there by Herbert, who harnessed the very best version of himself in his first game since a career low point in January.

“There’s people bashing him, talking about he can’t make plays in big games,” said receiver Ladd McConkey. “Justin’s not somebody that’s going to go and say something to somebody saying something bad about him. He’s going to let his play do the talking, and he did that.”

Herbert dazzled in every way a quarterback can. It was football genius. It was a virtuoso performance.

This Herbert was missing in the playoff loss to the Houston Texans last season.

This is the Herbert who can lead the Chargers to a championship.

He completed 25 of 34 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns. Herbert did not have a turnover. Most importantly, Herbert showed off the creative part of his game — the facet he must tap into to lift the Chargers late in games and topple the NFL’s giants, like Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

There was no better example of this creativity than on the final drive of the game. The Chargers faced a third-and-13 with 2:14 remaining. The Chiefs were out of timeouts. A first down would ice the game.

Herbert took the shotgun snap and dropped back. He recognized man coverage. Herbert initially wanted to throw to Quentin Johnston, who led the Chargers with five catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns. But the Chiefs bracketed Johnston in double coverage.

The Chiefs had no one assigned to spy Herbert.

So he took off.

Herbert escaped around Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones around the edge. He surged up the right sideline, his strides lengthening with each step as he hit top speed. Herbert passed the first down marker. He passed midfield.

“I’m hauling ass trying to catch him,” center Bradley Bozeman said.

Then Herbert slid feet first, the ball raised up in his right hand in celebration.

“I could work on my ball security,” Herbert quipped after the game.

It could be considered a flamboyant gesture from the typically reserved Herbert.

“I love when he shows emotion,” said right guard Mekhi Becton, who played despite dealing with a stomach illness. “Whenever he shows emotion, I get excited, too.”

Teammates feed off this version of Herbert, and he has been building to this moment ever since that loss in Houston on Jan. 11.

Herbert threw a career-high four interceptions in that game. Despite facing considerable pressure because of a leaky offensive line, Herbert did not scramble a single time. The game was screaming for playmaking from the star quarterback, but he had none to offer.

All offseason, in quiet moments at the Chargers facility, safety Derwin James Jr. saw a more motivated Herbert. He was fueled by falling short, fueled by missing out on another chance to win his first playoff game.

“Since that game,” James said, “he hasn’t stopped working.”

During camp practices, Herbert would often spend special teams periods running sprints with members of the training staff.

“I’ve been seeing him working on his speed and his endurance so much,” said McConkey, who caught six passes for 74 yards. “It’s paying off.”

Friday night in Brazil was a culmination.

“I’ve never had more trust in a quarterback,” safety Elijah Molden said.

A reminder.

“For him to come and ball like he did,” said edge rusher Khalil Mack, “you can see what he’s been thinking about all offseason.”

“One game last year doesn’t define someone,” Molden said. “He is who he is.”

James could tell he was watching “a different 10” early in the game. The play was called back for a holding penalty, but it was a sign of what was to come. Herbert escaped to his right on a first-and-20 scramble from inside Chiefs territory. He juked linebacker Drue Tranquill, his former teammate, in the open field. He ran over cornerback Jaylen Watson. He ran through linebacker Nick Bolton. He initially picked up a first down.

The flag was less meaningful than the creativity and playmaking Herbert showed on this snap.

“A new level, a new focus, a new leader,” James said. “This 10 is scary.”

Mahomes tried to pull off another escape act. He did this over and over against the Chargers during the seven-game winning streak. He scrambled for a touchdown on the first drive of the third quarter. On the next possession, he seemed to levitate in midair, body parallel to the grass, as he found receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster for a mind-bending third-down conversion. Later in that possession, Mahomes connected with Travis Kelce on a 37-yard touchdown. On the final drive, he kept the Chiefs alive with a 49-yard completion to Hollywood Brown on fourth down.

Each time, though, Herbert had an answer. Finally, after nearly four years of getting knocked to the mat by Mahomes, Herbert seized his turn to deliver the decisive blows.

He answered the scramble touchdown with a touchdown throw to Keenan Allen, who finished with seven catches for 68 yards. He answered the Kelce touchdown with a touchdown throw to Johnston. He answered the Brown deep shot with that third-and-13 scramble.

“He’s a problem,” coach Jim Harbaugh said of Herbert.

It is only one game, and Herbert will have to stack more performances like this. He has flashed his creative side in individual games before, like a Week 16 win over the Denver Broncos last season.

The true step forward will come when he is this threatening, dangerous playmaker week after week.

But based on how he played Friday night and how his teammates raved, it is quite possible the Texans loss awoke something inside Herbert.

“He put on his hero cape today,” Mack said, “and saved the day.”

A great superhero origin story must sometimes begin with a tragedy.

(Photo: Ettore Chiereguini / AGIF via Associated Press)

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