After an embarrassing 38-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts this past Sunday, thus making them losers of three of their last four, the Los Angeles Chargers will look to right the ship on Thursday night as they take on the Minnesota Vikings, who've lost two of their last three.
While Justin Herbert threw a pair of ugly interceptions in the loss to the Colts, he also threw for a career-high 420 yards and three touchdowns. Sure, much of that yardage came in the second half when he basically had no choice but to throw the ball with the Bolts being behind by so much. But that doesn't change the fact that he and pretty much he alone was responsible for keeping the Chargers at least somewhat competitive.
With the injury issues Los Angeles has been forced to deal with on the offensive line and in the backfield and the defense failing to make stops on a consistent basis, Jim Harbaugh has had no choice but to ask his quarterback to put this team on his back. And that will likely again be the case against the Vikings.
Thankfully for the Bolts, Herbert was just given the blueprint on how to attack the Minnesota secondary by fellow 2020 draftee Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles. More specifically, he was shown how to attack the Vikings' cornerbacks, a group that hasn't played well for most of the season.
Justin Herbert should be able to exploit the Vikings' cornerbacks...if he gets time to throw the ball
Through the first six weeks of the season, the Vikings were actually one of the best against the pass, allowing an average of just 157.6 yards per game through the air.
But outside of that incredible performance from Isaiah Rodgers in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, in which he recorded an 87-yard pick-six, a pass breakup in the end zone, two forced fumbles, and a 66-yard fumble return touchdown—and that was all in the first half—the Minnesota corners have been merely average, with the Vikings' stellear group of safeties being much more responsible for the success against the pass.
Byron Murphy Jr. has come nowhere close to living up to the monster contract extension he received during the offseason, and his 52.4 overall PFF defensive grade ranks 90th among 112 eligible corners. Backup Jeff Okudah hasn't contributed much when he gets his opportunities, and the same can be said of little-used Dwight McGlothern.
Getting back to Rodgers, outside of that magical day against Cincinnati, he's been wildly erratic and got absolutely torched by the Eagles this past Sunday, which could be said of the entire Minnesota secondary as a whole.
As mentioned, going into their Week 7 matchup with the defending Super Bowl champs, the Vikings had allowed just 157.6 passing yards per game. Against Philly, however, they allowed Hurts to complete 19 of 23 throws for 326 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, thus giving him a perfect 158.3 passer rating.
And it was Rodgers who got the worst of it, as he allowed 151 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown from DeVonta Smith and the A.J. Brown reception that ultimately sealed the victory for the Birds late in the fourth quarter. Murphy also gave up a touchdown and allowed a completion on every single pass thrown in his direction.
So, this is clearly a vulnerability for the Vikings right now, and Herbert and every single Chargers receiver has to take advantage on Thursday night. If Rodgers is susceptible to the deep ball at the moment, run Quentin Johnston at him early and see what happens. If Murphy can't contain anybody at the moment, run Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen to his side.
The biggest issue with all of this, of course, is the Chargers' offensive line, which should have Joe Alt back in the fold, giving Herbert the time to throw the ball. It's no secret that Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores loves to blitz, not that Herbert isn't familiar with that, as he's been blitzed 93 times this season, more than any quarterback in the NFL, and still leads the league in passing yards.
This is a matchup the Chargers can win, and Herbert could undoubtedly be in for another big night.