Pete Carroll heaps immense praise on Chargers' Justin Herbert prior to Week 7

The Los Angeles Chargers have been exposed as a team with some serious holes that will inhibit their ability to compete for a Super Bowl this season. The magical right arm of Justin Herbert will be the biggest factor in making sure the Chargers reach their extremely lofty goals this season.

After the first six games of the year, Herbert is fourth in passing yards and sixth in passing touchdowns. Considering how offense is down across the league and the Chargers have been ravaged by injuries, Herbert has been doing everything possible to keep his team in the hunt.

While the Seattle Seahawks came into the season expecting to tank, Pete Carroll and Shane Waldron have this offense working like a top. Herbert will have to outgun the Hawks to pick up a win, and Carroll is well aware of the danger a player of No. 10's caliber presents for his defense.

Carroll compared Herbert to Josh Allen, who looks like the early frontrunner for the 2022 MVP. While Herbert may not have the straight-line speed that Allen does, very few quarterbacks in the league can compare to what these two have from an arm talent point of view.

Justin Herbert is keeping the Los Angeles Chargers afloat.

Herbert already has two division wins under his belt, but some of those victories have been akin to pulling teeth. LA almost choked a game away against the Browns and needed some Nathaniel Hackett incompetence to secure an overtime win against the Broncos. Seattle won't be a pushover.

While the reborn Geno Smith has Seattle's offense operating at near peak efficiency, Carroll is right to be concerned about this defense against the mighty arm of Herbert. While they allowed just nine points against the Cardinals and feature a DROY candidate in Tariq Woolen, this unit ranks near the bottom of most major categories.

Even without Keenan Allen healthy and with a suspect offensive line, Carroll is well aware that Herbert's ability to quickly process what the defense is giving him and lash the ball deep down the field could hand the Chargers a win.

The Chargers' defense has not been what everyone thought it would be despite the addition of some marquee names, meaning that their success will be tied almost inexorably to the production of Herbert and Joe Lombardi's passing game. Carroll is right to come into this game with fears over how to slow this guy down.