LA Chargers: Predicting Justin Herbert’s stat line vs. New Orleans Saints

Justin Heerbert is officially the starting quarterback of the LA Chargers.

Justin Herbert made three fantastic starts for the LA Chargers after being thrust into a situation that many thought he was not ready for. Herbert got minutes notice that he was starting in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs and has ran with the role.

After throwing for over 900 yards with six combined touchdowns in three weeks, Anthony Lynn finally announced that Herbert would be the starting quarterback for the Chargers moving forward.

We still were not sure if Tyrod Taylor was going to start once he recovered from a punctured lung that was caused by the Chargers’ medical staff. While it is a truly unfortunate situation for Taylor, there is no denying that Herbert presents the best opportunity to win.

I am sure that Lynn will be keeping a keen eye on the young quarterback, though. If Herbert starts to slip and starts to make countless rookie mistakes then I would not rule out Tyrod coming back as the starter. Based on Herbert’s first three games I don’t think that will happen to the extent to get him benched.

Herbert has not had the easiest slate of games in the world, either. He had to start his career against the defending Super Bowl Champions, got pressured too many times to count against the Carolina Panthers and had to go on the road and play Tom Brady and a tough defense.

Now, he has to take on the team that has the most regular-season wins in the league over the last three seasons. He should be up for the challenge, at this point.

Predicting Justin Herbert’s stat line vs. the New Orleans Saints:

22/28 passing, 270 yards, two touchdowns, one interception

I think we will see more of the same from Justin Herbert in terms of his overall production. He will have a solid enough game to keep this close with the Saints and will be efficent in throwing the ball, completing 22 of 28 attempts.

That is a 78.6 completion percentage and while that might seem high, he completed 80% of his passes last week and I think the offensive style in which the Chargers will run will dictate more completions for fewer yards.

I think Herbert is going to have two primary targets in the passing game — Justin Jackson and Hunter Henry.

Marson Lattimore is an inconsistent corner but is one that steps up against good competition and I think he will be good against Keenan Allen. With Mike Williams potentially out, the Chargers will yet again have inexperienced receivers out there and Sean Payton will certainly be scheming to stop the deep ball.

The other primary target for Herbert is going to be Hunter Henry. The Saints struggle against tight ends and Henry is one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the league. Henry is do for a big game and this is the perfect opponent for that.

Quite frankly, I would not be shocked to see a combined 13-15 receptions for Henry and Jackson, making up well over half of Herbert’s completions. I do think that he finds Henry in the endzone and Jackson finds the endzone himself as well in the passing game.

I do have Herbert throwing one pick. He has thrown one each game this season and against a veteran coach like Sean Payton, I would not be surprised to see another.

Will it be enough for the LA Chargers to win the game? Well, it mostly depends on if the defense can contain the Saints’ offense, particularly Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara. If so, then the Chargers could be an upset waiting to happen.