The connection between Justin Herbert and Ladd McConkey had been building for the past couple of months, but it was only a matter of time before their true potential was unlocked.
That came on Sunday in the Chargers’ win over the Saints. McConkey finished the game with 111 yards and two touchdowns on six receptions.
McConkey is the first Chargers rookie to record a 100-yard receiving game since Keenan Allen did it in the 2013 season.
McConkey’s big day included a massive 60-yard score as he leaped, caught the jump ball and scampered inside into the end zone. The explosive scoring play is the element the wide receiver room has been missing this season.
“It’s what we needed,” Jim Harbaugh said of McConkey’s touchdown. “It’s what we’ve been needing.”
Before this game, McConkey was primarily an asset in the short and intermediate parts of the field, especially on third downs.
“He’s a complete receiver,” Herbert said. “To have that short game, those intermediate routes, he’s been so good at it, especially on third down. And now you open up some of those go balls that you got to respect. And for him to be able to line up anywhere, inside, outside, we got a true ballplayer on our hands.”
There had been talks about the Chargers potentially a wideout before the trade deadline. However, McConkey’s performance likely dispelled that narrative, showing the makeup of a true No. 1 option.
