Falcons GAMEDAY: Atlanta Looking To Stay in First Place vs. Chargers, Justin Herbert

With the goal of keeping first place in the NFC South, the Atlanta Falcons understand the importance of containing quarterback Justin Herbert on Sunday.

The NFC South has been the most disappointing division in all of football this season, but the Atlanta Falcons have a chance to create separation between themselves and the rest of their counterparts.

With a quarter of the season already in the books, the Falcons sit atop the division with a 4-4 record. And the results of Sunday's interconference match against the 4-3 Los Angeles Chargers could push Atlanta one step closer to winning their first division title since 2016. 

The key to slowing down the Chargers at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is to contain one of the league's best quarterbacks in Justin Herbert, amid a Week 9 contest. 

"He’s a terrific player, lots of courage in the pocket, can change his arm angle, he’s really accurate down the field, pretty complete quarterback," coach Arthur Smith said. "It’ll be an interesting matchup. I don’t know the stat on this, you can look it up, when was the last time two Oregon quarterbacks were going head-to-head as starters."

Herbert is entering his contest against the Falcons leading a top-10 offense during the 2022 campaign.

Los Angeles has recorded an average of 368.3 yards. And without a decent rushing attack, most of the Chargers' offense falls on the shoulders of Herbert. The third-year prospect from Oregon is ranked top-10 in nearly every statistical quarterback category, from sixth in passing yards (2,009) and touchdowns (12). 

The last time the Falcons played against the Chargers, Herbert led Los Angeles to a 20-17 win during the 2022 campaign. As a rookie quarterback, Herbert threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns in the win.    

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You can follow Coty Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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