Justin Herbert gives Chargers' offense legs as defense shuts down Titans
The linebacker ended up on his backside. The cornerback fell backward as if he was breakdancing. Justin Herbert just kept running, juking and winning.
Used to embarrassing defenders with his arm, Herbert added a display of shifty running in the Chargers’ 27-17 win over the Tennessee Titans (2-7) on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The quarterback rushed for 32 yards in nine carries with one touchdown, his first rushing score since Oct. 1, 2023.
“I'm changing his name to Beast,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Beast Herbert. Half man, half beast.”
Finally paired with a defense that can begin to match his talents, Herbert led the Chargers (6-3) to their third consecutive win, the team’s longest winning streak since four straight victories in 2022.
The Chargers held a ninth consecutive opponent under 20 points, moving into a tie for the NFL’s second-longest streak of games with 20 or fewer points allowed to begin a season. Matching the record of 10 — set by the New York Giants in 1990 — won’t be an easy task as the Chargers’ schedule takes a dramatic turn.
Facing only one team ranked 10th or better in the NFL in points per game in their first nine games, the Chargers have four of their next five games against top-10 offenses, including next Sunday’s prime-time game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Read more: Chargers' Elijah Molden leads former Titans who helped elevate NFL's No. 1 defense
The “Sunday Night Football” matchup figures to be a marquee quarterback battle. Even against Joe Burrow, Herbert shouldn’t get second billing.
The Chargers’ franchise quarterback who threw for 164 yards and one touchdown Sunday is averaging 262.2 yards passing in the last five games, with six touchdowns. He’s completed 66.7% of his passes in the five games since returning from an off week that allowed him to rest an injured right ankle.
Completing 14 of 18 passes, Herbert set the NFL record for most completions for a player in their first five seasons, passing Derek Carr (1,759) with 1,772.
“Guardian of victory for our football team,” Harbaugh said. “In awe really most of the time.”
Harbaugh paused before correcting himself.
“All of the time.”
Herbert helped jump-start a sputtering offense by scoring the Chargers’ first touchdown with a four-yard scramble on fourth-and-one with 1:55 remaining in the second quarter.
The Chargers already had settled for field goals in their first two red-zone trips and trailed by one after giving up a touchdown on the Titans’ opening possession, the first time an opponent had scored on their first drive this season.
Read more: 🏈 Chargers-Titans summary
Herbert started rushing to his right, but defensive end Sebastian Joseph-Day cut off his path. The quarterback cut back toward his left, dodged a diving defensive lineman and slithered around a linebacker into the end zone.
“He just went beast mode,” Harbaugh said.
With a high-ankle sprain a distant memory, Herbert’s running ability proved to be an early threat. He scrambled up the middle for eight yards on the Chargers’ first possession, juking Tennessee linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. so aggressively that the former Chargers linebacker toppled to the turf.
Early in the fourth quarter, Herbert pump-faked a pass that left cornerback Roger McCreary sliding down to the ground and reaching backward with his hand.
Watching on the sideline, safety Derwin James Jr. leaped off the bench.
“Justin was doing some [stuff] I never seen with him,” outside linebacker Khalil Mack said laughing. “He pumped the DB and I was like, ‘Oh! What the hell?’ I didn’t know he had that in the arsenal.”
Receiver Joshua Palmer never underestimates the 6-foot-6 quarterback’s athleticism, but sometimes holds his breath when he sees Herbert sprinting in the open field. To be clear, Palmer is nervous for both his quarterback but also any defender who dares stand in his way.
“We just sometimes hope he goes down earlier, don't take the hit,” Palmer said. “But when we see it, we get happy, we get excited, because we know he's gonna bring the boom.”
Herbert has rushed for more than 30 yards in two out of the last three games, including a career-long 38-yard rush against the Saints on Oct. 27 when he lowered his shoulder against safety Tyrann Mathieu.
When first-year offensive coordinator Greg Roman spoke during the offseason about pairing Herbert with a potent running game, having the quarterback run the ball himself wasn’t the picture most imagined.
His effort, however, combined with 55 yards rushing from Gus Edwards, 50 from J.K. Dobbins and four from Hassan Haskins — who scored a clutch fourth-quarter touchdown by jumping over the pile — the Chargers had their most productive rushing game since Week 2 with 145 yards.
“It's a threat that you have to hold the defense accountable to,” Herbert said of his running ability. “As long as I'm smart and I pick my battles correctly, I think it's a big part of our offense.”
After scoring his rushing touchdown, Herbert handed the ball to center Bradley Bozeman, and the offensive lineman’s spike nearly dented the turf in the end zone.
Herbert celebrated his 16-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston in the third quarter by flexing both arms with fists clenched toward the bench. He doesn't care who scores as long as the quarterback gets to celebrate with his teammates.
“A touchdown is a touchdown,” Herbert said. “As long as we’re getting in the end zone, they’re all exciting.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
