Buoyed by their incredible good fortune at quarterback once again, the Chargers won Sunday to even their win-loss record at two games apiece.
Justin Herbert made physical plays that few quarterbacks can pull off, such as stiff-arming a 280-pound end to the turf, running away from linebackers and icing the 24-17 victory with a 51-yard strike on third-and-10 as the pocket closed on him.
For all his talents, Herbert couldn’t have made any of those plays if he were hurt.
But although Herbert was pained Sunday by a second-half injury to his left hand, it’s the Raiders and everyone else in the NFL who lives in that world.
While elsewhere Sunday in the AFC the Jets lacked Aaron Rodgers (Achilles), the Steelers lost Kenny Pickett (knee) and the Browns shelved Deshaun Watson (shoulder) one game after he finally looked like himself, Herbert maintained his career-long streak of relative health. Herbert has started — and finished — all 55 games of his career.
So the Chargers continue to live in a QB cocoon, having a standout available for every start the past 18 years at the NFL’s most important position.
It’s an astonishing stroke of good fortune no other NFL club has come close to matching in that span. This year, Herbert has enabled coach Brandon Staley’s program to weather the absence of several starters.
Like most NFL clubs, the Raiders can’t fathom the Chargers’ stability at QB. Reprising their role as the AFC West’s Schleprock at the critical position, the Raiders on Sunday lacked veteran starter Jimmy Garoppolo. He was concussed seven days earlier.
Number of official concussions to ex-Charger Philip Rivers and current Bolts QB Herbert in their NFL careers: Zero.
Perhaps Raiders rookie Aidan O’Connell ends up being this year’s Brock Purdy.
The fourth-round pick from Purdue did grow into the game Sunday in the second half. He showed he deserved another start, as Raiders coach Josh McDaniels tries to develop a franchise QB and show he wasn’t just drafting off Tom Brady’s greatness all those years with the Patriots.
But most rookie QBs are bound to make critical mistakes in an NFL debut, and O’Connell made three of them Sunday.
The Chargers turned two of his fumbles into short touchdown drives en route to a 24-7 halftime lead.
Near game’s end, when O’Connell failed to see a backside defender in his bid for a tying touchdown, cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. intercepted the out near the goal line.
It was left to Herbert to make sure the Raiders (1-3) wouldn’t get the ball back. He did so on third-and-10 from the 11.
Unfazed by the left-hand injury that put a splint on his middle fingers, the righty responded with an “arm strength” throw to receiver Josh Palmer, who got away with a pushoff on the go route.
So what the Chargers harvested Sunday was another “quarterback victory.” They’ve drawn upon several of those every year for some two decades now.
If asked what it’s like to break in a raw rookie at QB such as O’Connell, all the Chargers can do is shrug.
Rivers was in his third NFL year when he took over for Drew Brees in the 2006 opener opposite the Raiders, who — true to form — turned to pair of backup QBs, Aaron Brooks and Andrew Walter, that night.
Rivers held the job through 255 starts until he was nudged into retirement at 39.
Herbert, his successor, resembled a good starter in his NFL debut. He almost led the Chargers to an upset of the Chiefs before making a rookie mistake near the goal line.
So many dividends accrue to a team with a standout quarterback who’s also extra durable that they’re too numerous to expound upon.
An under-appreciated windfall is being able to hedge bets on injured players who otherwise might be pressed into duty, knowing the QB gap should yield a victory.
For example: Chargers stars such as Austin Ekeler, Derwin James and Joey Bosa, none of whom played Sunday, are more likely to play, then, against tougher competition such as the Cowboys in Week 6 and the Chiefs in Week 7.
The Chargers cashed several of those checks last year.
As a result, while Herbert was leading them into playoff contention, sidelined players had more time to mend. By the time the Chargers faced the Jaguars in the wild-card playoff game, Staley’s club enjoyed good NFL health for an 18th game although it wasn’t enough to prevent his team from Chargering a contest it led 27-0 in the second half.
This time around, the Chargers have been favored in all four games this year largely because of Herbert. Pencil them as slight favorites against Dallas if Herbert’s a go.
In a QB league, the Shamrock Chargers continue to live a charmed life.
