The Los Angeles Chargers' season, despite their 9-4 record and prime positioning to secure an AFC Wild Card spot, has not been pretty by any stretch of the imagination.
Yet, in spite of abysmal offensive-line play, inconsistencies on the defensive side of the ball, and injury woes bordering on absurdity, the Chargers have still found a way to win games in narrow and nail-biting situations. It could prove to be the key to any playoff success they might find this season.
Chargers have a promising history in nail-biting games this season
While the Chargers have been on both sides of blowouts this season, most depressingly against the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars, they have also found a way to prevail in games that their defense has been able to keep close.
The most prevalent, and recent, example is their enamoring win over the struggling Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14. While Herbert did not have a decidedly dominant game, he did enough to take the team to overtime and grant them the lead with a field goal, which Tony Jefferson then cashed in with his game-winning interception in the redzone.
Moreover, game-winning field goals from Cameron Dicker against the Miami Dolphins and the Denver Broncos (not to mention narrower-than-we-might-want-to-remember victories over the Tennessee Titans and the Kansas City Chiefs) are a major reason why Los Angeles is even in playoff position in the first place.
Think back to Herbert's (and the defense's) heroics in those games, and try to convince yourself that, if they are given a chance, they can't do the same thing in the playoffs.
Justin Herbert can be the playoff hero that the team deserves
Herbert's season, statistically, has not quite come close to the dominance he achieved last season. Through his first 13 games, he's amassed 2,981 passing yards, coupled with 22 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Yet, it's hard to blame him entirely for this dip in performance. He's been under immense pressure from opposing pass rushes all season, having already been sacked 45 times (exceeding the total from any other season in his career). He's also faced injuries in his backfield that have limited the team's offensive versatility for much of the season.
Nevertheless, he has prevailed on multiple occasions, and, depending on what happens over the final few weeks of the season, he has brought his team, yet again, on the precipice of earning a playoff spot.
Granted, drawing a team such as the Houston Texans or the Denver Broncos in the first round could be disastrous given how dominant those defenses have been this year.
Herbert, and the rest of the big playmakers on the Chargers, will, however, likely have a word to say about that, no matter who their opponent ultimately is.