Justin Herbert has become one of the league’s best quarterbacks in two short seasons. He was the AFC starter in the Pro Bowl in his second season and has passed for 9,350 yards and 69 touchdowns in two seasons.
But what the quarterback hasn’t done is get the Chargers into the postseason.
The Chargers finished 7-9 and in third place in the AFC West in 2020 and were 9-8 and in third place in 2021. Last season ended in a 35-32 loss to the Raiders in a win-or-go-home in Week 18.
“The great thing for me is that I don’t spend too much time on social media, so I don’t get to see all that stuff,” Herbert told Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports when asked about criticism outside the organization for not making the postseason. “It’s always a challenge of being better, and we haven’t won a playoff game in the past two years. That’s obviously a tough challenge, but I believe in our team and the coaching staff.
“It’s up for us to play football and continue to execute. At the end of the day, you can’t get too worried about all these outcomes because you can’t control them. All you can do is your best and whatever happens, happens.”
The Chargers improved their roster this offseason, trading for Khalil Mack and signing J.C. Jackson among their moves. But the Raiders and Broncos also got better, and the Chiefs still have Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.
That makes winning the division harder than it has been the past two seasons, but Herbert embraces that challenge.
“It’s tough, but I think it’s a great opportunity for us to go play the best,” Herbert said of the division. “The Chiefs have gotten better; the Raiders have gotten better; and the Denver Broncos have gotten better -- and that’s exactly what you want. We believe we can play really good football and it’s up to us to go out and execute.
“At the end of the day, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. Those guys have certainly proved that over the past couple years. This is going to be a fun division to be a part of.”