Herbert and Burrow face off for the second time when the Chargers host the Bengals in prime time

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said he’s had little sleep this week as he tries to prepare for Cincinnati’s prolific duo of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.

Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo probably feels the same way when it comes to finding ways to stop the Chargers’ Justin Herbert on Sunday night.

The second game between Herbert and Burrow — both 2020 first-round picks — was moved to prime time instead of the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets.

“I think Justin is great. He has one of the strongest arms in the league. He plays football the right way,” Burrow said. “He’s a big, strong guy who can make plays with his feet and a tough guy who can stand there, can take hits.”

Burrow, the top pick in 2020 after leading LSU to a national championship and winning the Heisman Trophy, said he met Herbert at the scouting combine. Herbert, the sixth overall pick and No. 3 defensive end, is a Burrow fan.

“He does a great job with timing and rhythm and then being able to make plays off the clock when it’s very difficult for the defense. The defense thinks they’ve won the game and he breaks out and makes a play downfield,” Herbert said.

Herbert hasn’t thrown an interception in the last six games and is averaging 262.2 yards passing in the Chargers’ five games since they parted ways. Los Angeles (6-3) has a three-game winning streak and is 4-1 after the bye week.

With a more balanced offense under coach Jim Garbaugh, Herbert has been more successful passing for at least 20 yards. He is 14 of 29 for 478 yards and five touchdowns on deep balls, and his passer rating on those throws is 134.0, the highest in the league.

Quentin Johnston, a first-round pick last year, is one of six receivers in the AFC with at least five touchdowns.

“Justin Herbert is definitely one of the five or six best running backs in football,” NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms said. “The way they play isn’t necessarily sexy or conducive to a lot of defenders, but when they turn to pass, they’re usually looking for a big play. And, of course, he’s dangerous that way.”

Simms said Barrow would have been an MVP candidate if not for the Bengals’ 4-6 record. Five of Cincinnati’s losses were by six points or less.

Burrow leads the NFL in passing yards (2,672) and completions (246) and is tied with Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson and Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield for touchdown passes (24).

Chase leads all yards in receptions (66), receptions (981) and touchdowns (10).

“That tandem, I don’t know if there’s anybody that plays better,” Minter said. “Barrow has a good understanding of how you try to play them and sees coverage well. There aren’t many tricks with Joe. We are excited about the challenge and the opportunity.”

The Chargers have won three straight against the Bengals, including 41-22 in Cincinnati in 2021.

Protective test

The Chargers are allowing a league-low 13.1 points per game and are trying to become the first team since the 1990 New York Giants to allow 20 or fewer points in each of their first nine games.

The match against Burrow and Chase will be their toughest test to date. Barrow is also one of the best defenders when faced with zone coverage. The Chargers are third in the zone at 83.7%.

The Chargers have 18 sacks in their last three games and will need to pressure Burrow.

“I think this will be the first game all year where they’re going to have to man up a little bit more than they might want to. I don’t think you can sit back and just go, we’re going to do what we’ve been doing the whole game and just keep playing all those zone and combo zone coverages. That’s where Burrow is really tough to beat in my opinion,” Simms said.

Grounded

The Bengals struggled to run the ball, averaging 89.7 yards per game, fourth most in the league.

Chase Brown rushed for 120 yards in a win over Las Vegas on Nov. 3, but has been held to fewer than 50 yards in three of his last four games. Zach Moss is out for the season with a neck injury, and Khalil Herbert, acquired in a trade from Chicago, fumbled on his only carry against Baltimore last week.

The Browns’ ball defense hasn’t been much better, with two turnovers in their last five games.

The Bengals average 0.7 yards per touchdown on runs, seventh worst in the league.

Follow the…

A matchup between Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Chargers’ Rashon Slater. According to Next Generation NFL Stats, Hendrickson lined up on the right side on nearly 95% of his snaps, meaning he’ll be facing Slater the majority of the time.

Hendrickson leads the league with 11 sacks and generates the second-most pressures of a linebacker with 52. Slater’s pressure rate is 9.1%, 14th among 33 left tackles with at least 150 pass blocks. Gave up 4.5 sacks and 22 pressures.

“One of the great things about Rashon is that you never have to worry about him. You just find out that the left side is good and he got it. You feel your best when you’re not worried about it,” Herbert said.

Welcome back

This is the Bengals’ first trip to Southern California since their 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl following the 2021 season.

“I didn’t really think about it. Hopefully it’s really nothing like that, just be prepared for it,” Burrow said. “When you go to these big cities to play, it’s always exciting, usually in prime time. When you play in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, it’s always a great opportunity.”

Cincinnati usually travels to the West Coast on Saturday, but decided to fly on Friday this time, coach Zach Taylor said, to help the team bond.

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AP sports reporter Mitch Stacey in Cincinnati contributed to this report.