TIME TO SLING IT ON

Only winning can change the perception of Herbert not belonging in the top tier

- DYLAN HERNÁNDEZ COLUMNIST

THE CHARGERS' quarterback Justin Herbert hopes to join the ranks of elite quarterbacks while the Rams' Matthew Stafford vies for another Super Bowl trip.

Jim Harbaugh has already called him one of the greatest players to ever play his position.

The perception nationally of Justin Herbert isn’t as charitable. The consensus is that Herbert doesn’t belong in the top tier of NFL quarterbacks alongside the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen or Joe Burrow.

If anything, Herbert might be viewed as being closer to Jared Goff or Brock Purdy than Mahomes or Jackson.

As overwhelming as his athletic gifts are, as many jaw-dropping passes as he’s completed, Herbert still hasn't won a playoff game for the Chargers.

His coach has greater ambitions than a solitary postseason victory for him, however.

"The Super Bowl," Harbaugh said. "That's what we're going for, the Super Bowl. That's our goal. We're going to do it or die trying."

From the outside, such a leap feels entirely possible.

The Chargers were 11-6 and qualified for the playoffs last year in Harbaugh’s first season as their coach. The last time he coached in the NFL, with the San Francisco 49ers, he reached the Super Bowl in Year 2.

Harbaugh has won at each of his previous coaching stops, inspiring confidence around the Chargers that it’s amatter of time until he replicates those results with them.