Justin Herbert may not be having the season he's accustomed to, but Patrick Mahomes still sees the impressive talent that has taken the NFL by storm since the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback made his debut two seasons ago.
Mahomes has already faced off against Herbert this year -- and sees him again Sunday with full control of the AFC West on the line for the Kansas City Chiefs. Watching Herbert and the Chargers' offense on film, Mahomes is still amazed what Herbert can do with the football in his hands.
"He's a special arm talent. He throws some passes that I don't think anyone can throw in this league and that includes myself," Mahomes said Wednesday. "He has a cannon for an arm, you watch -- I watch on film every week because we play similar opponents -- there's some throws that you just kind of shake your head because they are just that special.
"I understand that it'll be a great challenge for us as a team to go up against the Chargers and the talent that they have over there. How can we match that intensity (and) how can we match that talent and go out there and win a football game is what we have to focus on."
Herbert has been bothered by a rib injury that has affected his play throughout the year. Since suffering the injury at the end of a Week 2 loss to the Chiefs, Herbert has completed 64.1% of his passes for 1,837 yards with eight touchdowns to five interceptions with an 82.6 passer rating (25th out of 34 NFL quarterbacks).
While Herbert hasn't been the same player, Mahomes has completed 65.4% of his passes for 2,341 yards with 18 touchdowns to seven interceptions with a 100.6 passer rating in that same span (fifth in NFL). Herbert has also been affected by injuries on his offense, as Keenan Allen and Mike Williams have only played 23 snaps together all season. Rashawn Slater has been out since Week 3 (ruptured biceps tendon) and is expected to miss the rest of the year while the Chargers have sustained numerous other injuries on the offensive side of the ball.
Regardless how much Herbert has struggled since the rib injury, the Chargers are still in the AFC West race -- and the playoff race -- at 5-4. Sunday is big one for Los Angeles, too.
"You're right at the time where these games are so, so important. It's important for the Chargers, it's important for us, Denver and the Raiders, likewise," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. "So, that's the time of year you're in and you've got to make sure that you batten down the hatches man -- detail your work and don't leave anything uncovered there."
