Justin Herbert stole the show.
The Kansas City Chiefs and superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes were on the field in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Friday night. But it was the Los Angeles Chargers' QB who made the game his own.
Herbert was brilliant from start to finish. He showed off his incredible arm talent. He also showed the rushing ability that he foreshadowed in the offseason.
And in the end, the Chargers had a superb divisional win to open the 2025 NFL regular season. It's just Week 1, but L.A. now has a leg up on their biggest division rival. And it's thanks in large part to Herbert.
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Justin Herbert stats tonight
Justin Herbert played one of the most solid games of his career on Friday night in Brazil en route to a 27-21 win over the Chiefs.
Herbert's final stats:
- 25-for-34 passing
- 318 passing yards
- 3 passing TDs
- 7 carries
- 33 rushing yards
- 0 INT
Herbert was on time and on target all night long. They felt so good about his night that they went play-action pass to help ice the game late on a throw to Will Dissly in a spot when the Chargers could've just run the ball. And then he iced the game by running for a first down on third-and-14.
His rushing total was hurt slightly by three kneel downs to ice the game.
The Chargers' offense under head coach Jim Harbaugh isn't always a high-volume passing attack, and that limited Herbert's numbers at times in 2024. Herbert had just two games of 300 or more passing yards last season.
But he started this season with the special performance. He's just the third QB in Chargers history to go for at least 300 yards and three TDs in a season opener, joining Dan Fouts and Philip Rivers (who did it twice).
For the Chargers to take advantage of the leg up they now have on the Chiefs in the standings, they may need Herbert to keep playing like this. And he's certainly capable of special nights like this whenever the Chargers need it.
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