Jim Harbaugh has run out of ways to describe Justin Herbert’s athletic feats.
The way the Chargers quarterback can place a pass over a lurking linebacker and in front of a charging cornerback.
The seemingly impossible throw across the field to Ladd McConkey in the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals that put the Chargers in scoring position on the game-winning drive.
No more explanation needed from Harbaugh.
“It is what it is. Enjoy it,” Harbaugh said Wednesday. “He’s not only one of the best in the game currently, he’s one of the best of all time.”
Reporters in the fuller-than-normal news conference — attendance that signaled an upcoming marquee “Monday Night Football” matchup with the Baltimore Ravens — raised eyebrows at the bold statement. Harbaugh doubled down when he saw the reactions.
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“I do not feel at all like I’m going out on a limb in saying that,” he concluded.
Harbaugh ticked off several of Herbert’s qualifications: franchise record holder for most consecutive passes without an interception (246), most completions of any quarterback through his first five seasons (1,789), 11 comeback wins in the fourth quarter or overtime since entering the NFL, which ranks third among quarterbacks since 2020.
The most important stat is the Chargers’ four-game winning streak.
Averaging 268 yards passing in the last six games while completing 62.9% of his passes, Herbert has led the Chargers (7-3) to their best record entering Week 12 since 2018.
The quarterback who prides himself on putting team success over individual glory is finally in the thick of a playoff race and hopes to stay on track, even if his exploits have surpassed his head coach’s vocabulary.
“It’s a product of all the hard work that we put in, but at the same time, you have to focus up and realize that there’s a lot of football left,” Herbert said. “To be where we want to be, to keep going where we want to go, this is the most important stretch. It starts with the Ravens.”
The Ravens (7-4) have won four of their last five games against the Chargers, including a “Sunday Night Football” matchup in SoFi Stadium last year.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson leads the NFL’s top-ranked offense with an NFL-best 117.3 passer rating. The Ravens average 430.1 yards per game with the second-highest scoring average of 30.4 points per game.
The two-time NFL most valuable player has thrown for 2,876 yards and 25 touchdowns while rushing for 584 yards and two scores.
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As with Herbert, Jackson is not just one of the game’s best quarterbacks now, but also will go down as one of the best ever, Harbaugh said.
“It would be like those two looking in the mirror when it comes to competitiveness and doing anything and everything for the team,” Harbaugh said. “Mirror images.”
Harbaugh has had no shortage of praise for his franchise quarterback. The coach has compared Herbert’s mind to a computer chip and his arm to something that can make angels sing.
Harbaugh, a former first-round draft pick who still regularly works out with his players, said he felt like a mosquito next to the 6-foot-6 Herbert.
The unending adulation was uncomfortable for Herbert to hear at first, the former Oregon Ducks star said. Whether it was Harbaugh’s insistence that he wear a different colored jersey from his offensive teammates or how he heaps praise onto Herbert in front of the team or the media, being singled out didn’t fit the quarterback’s understated style.
Herbert quickly realized he couldn’t get out of the situation.
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“The more you go through it, it bothers you less and less,” Herbert said. “I think it’s cool to have a coach support you like that. I try and say as many good things about games as possible, but I think I’m outnumbered.”
While he can’t match compliments with his head coach, Herbert is happy to repay him something more valuable: wins.
“To be a part of this team, I just want to make him proud,” Herbert said, “to do everything that I can do to keep this thing going.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
