The Los Angeles Chargers pulled off a huge win in primetime. Taking down the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles took their record to 9-4, and Jesse Minter’s defense had Jalen Hurts on his back from start to finish.
However, head coach Jim Harbaugh wanted to give his quarterback his flowers after a hard-fought win. While his numbers weren’t necessarily great, Justin Herbert’s toughness and ability to rise to the occasion set the tone in this game.
That’s why, following the win, the former Michigan head coach had an interesting choice of words to describe his signal-caller.
Jim Harbaugh says Justin Herbert is a superhero
“Justin Herbert, he’s a superhero,” the Chargers coach said. “He’s a competitive maniac. He was even stiff-arming guys with a broken hand — he had surgery a week ago. It felt like we were in a movie where the quarterback’s doing things and you get to the point where you go, ‘OK, it’s getting a little unrealistic.’ That’s what it felt like to me. He refuses to lose. He’s tough as they get. He’s a superhero quarterback.”
Of course, his numbers weren’t eye-popping, as he completed just 12 of 25 passes for 139 yards with one touchdown and one pick. However, he had ten carries for 66 yards, and he played just seven days after undergoing surgery on his hand.
It was a gritty performance behind one of the worst offensive lines in football, and it helped keep their aspirations alive in the race for the AFC West.
Jim Harbaugh has a hilarious take on the win over the Eagles
The win was so crucial to this team’s aspirations that Coach Harbaugh jokingly claimed it was right up there with some of the biggest moments in his life:
“It’s certainly in the discussion, I’d put it in the discussion of the birth of my seven children, my marriage,” Harbaugh said. “In the conversation. Just joyous. The Biblical definition of that is just overflowing with joy.”
The Chargers won’t have much time to celebrate. They will close out the season with one of the toughest schedules in the game, having dates with the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, and Denver Broncos to close out the year.
Herbert’s health will obviously continue to be a concern for the remainder of the year, especially behind that offensive line. Still, with rookie RB Omarion Hampton back in the fold and with that ‘competitive maniac’ approach, this team could make some noise in the AFC playoffs.