FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — There will be plenty of conversation in the coming days and weeks about whether Patriots quarterback Drake Maye should win the NFL MVP award. While Maye had an extremely impressive second season, the quarterback he’s facing Sunday night in the AFC playoffs has been overlooked.
Justin Herbert has carried the Chargers to the playoffs. He may not have the gaudy stats of Maye or Matthew Stafford, the two favorites, but he has gotten the Chargers here without a supporting cast that even approaches what Maye and Stafford have, respectively.
The Chargers offensive line has been in a state of flux all season. The Chargers have used 25 different offensive line combinations this season. That led to Herbert getting sacked 54 times, the third most in the NFL this season. He took 129 quarterback hits and broke his left wrist in November.
Despite all that, and injuries to his running backs and less than star-studded receiver crew, Herbert has the Chargers back in the playoffs, and he threw for 3,727 yards, 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions this year.
