Herbert's brilliant opener helps Chargers finally beat Chiefs - ESPN

After Justin Herbert was sacked by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill late in the fourth quarter of Friday night's game in Sao Paolo, Brazil, it appeared the Chargers, clinging to a 27-21 lead, were in danger of giving the ball back and potentially headed toward a crushing loss — a familiar spot for the team.

But on third-and-14 with 2:14 remaining, Herbert dropped back to pass, scrambled for 19 yards and calmly slid for a first down while his teammates on the sideline went into a frenzy.

The scramble sealed the win for the Chargers and snapped a seven-game losing streak against the Chiefs. It also capped off one of the best games of Herbert's career, as he finished with 318 passing yards, three touchdowns and 32 rushing yards. The scramble was an emphatic close to perhaps the biggest win of the Jim Harbaugh era in Los Angeles.

«He is hard to deal with,» Harbaugh said of Herbert. «He's a problem.»

General manager Joe Hortiz spent the offseason retooling the Chargers' offense. He signed running back Najee Harris, right guard Mekhi Becton and wide receiver Keenan Allen. He drafted running back Omarion Hampton in the first round and wide receiver Tre' Harris in the second. The moves came after a humiliating 32-12 playoff loss to the Houston Texans, in which the Texans' defensive line dominated the scrimmage, Herbert was inaccurate and the Chargers' receivers not named Ladd McConkey struggled mightily.

On Friday, the Chargers appeared to have left their offensive inefficiencies in Houston.

Herbert spent most of the night operating with time to survey the field and find his receivers, finishing 20-of-24 for 268 yards and two passing touchdowns when not pressured.

The Chargers' receiving corps, the team's Achilles