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Justin Herbert is well on his way to becoming an NFL superstar. In his first two seasons, the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback has 69 passing touchdowns. He also threw for over 5,000 yards in 2021. He has not made the postseason, but that is not entirely on him.
One knock on his ascend has been his inability to beat AFC West rivals Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Consistently losing against Mahomes has hurt the young quarterback's stock. But now, there is a new wrinkle added to this debate.
With Russell Wilson joining the Denver Broncos, the AFC West now has Herbert, Mahomes, Wilson, and Derek Carr at quarterback. That is about as stacked as a division can be.
So will this star-studded group, including Wilson, affect the young Chargers star's rise to stardom?
Justin Herbert can take advantage of this situation in the AFC West
One way to look at this is that Herbert will now have his rise stalled by the competition. Yet there is a much more positive spin to the situation. That would be seeing this as an excellent opportunity for Herbert to become a superstar. What better way to chase an MVP award than to take down a few future Hall of Famers on an annual basis?
Herbert playing in a more robust division should mean he and his entire team are better prepared for the postseason. Divisional games against three of the best teams in the AFC are as good a preparation for the playoffs as possible.
Like every NFL team, the Chargers play six division games per year. That leaves 11 games against teams outside the division. So even if the quarterback does slip up against his divisional foes, a winning record could still be easily achievable.
It is an old cliche, but it remains true that you have to beat the best to be the best. The entire Chargers organization can rally behind that idea in 2022 now that a star in Wilson has entered the fold.
If their young quarterback fails to step up and take down Mahomes and Wilson, it would be evident that he was never destined to be a true NFL superstar. That is an unfortunate truth Chargers fans are hoping never comes true.
Also Read: 3 reasons why Broncos won the trade battle for Russell Wilson.
