When the Los Angeles Chargers decided to move on from veteran quarterback Philip Rivers, it left a hole at a position that had been stabilized for years. Then the 2020 NFL Draft came in April and with the sixth overall pick, Los Angeles selected Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert.
However, Herbert wasn’t to be the immediate starter due to quarterback Tyrod Taylor getting the reigns due to his experience as a starting quarterback. Throw in, at the time, the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and it seemed almost impossible for Herbert to compete for the starting job.
Without training camp and an NFL preseason to get meaningful snaps on the field, Herbert would play the waiting game with a franchise seeking its next prized quarterback.
Justin Herbert Is Already a Stud
The Wait for Justin Herbert
With Los Angeles head coach Anthony Lynn announcing Taylor as the starting quarterback against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, all Herbert could do was watch from the sidelines. But the watching would only last a week.
A bizarre injury to Taylor that saw him suffer from a punctured lung at the hands of the team’s medical staff would open the door for Herbert’s NFL debut in Week 2. However, on the other side would be the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
With Herbert being thrown into such a big game in his first crack of NFL action, many rookies would have faltered at the task. But not Herbert. Instead, the 22-year-old went toe-to-toe with one of the game’s best teams and elite players in the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. While Herbert and company came up just short after pushing the reigning champs into overtime, it became quite clear that Herbert, like Mahomes before him, was a stud in the making.
“He played his tail off,” Mahomes said of Herbert’s performance that day, according to ESPN.
Going up Against Legends
While Herbert came up just short against Kansas City, the road to earning his first career win wouldn’t get any easier. Herbert would find himself playing against two incredibly well coached teams that featured two future Hall of Famers in Tom Brady and Drew Brees.
Playing a Brady-led team as a young quarterback and winning are unheard of, but Herbert and the Charters almost pulled it off, in large part because of Herbert’s performance. Herbert threw three touchdowns and for 290 yards on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. Despite losing this contest, Herbert’s performance should have made it clear that he should be the guy in Los Angeles. Lynn could have switched back to Taylor following his recovery but he didn’t.
As if facing a quarterback like Brady wasn’t hard enough, Los Angeles traveled the following week for a matchup on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints and Brees. Much like his performance a week prior to, Herbert, on a national stage, showed the world how impressive his playing ability is. This time Herbert would account for four touchdowns and 264 yards on the road.
But the NFL can be a cruel sport and all quarterbacks face trials and tribulation throughout their careers. For Herbert, the lesson painfully learned is that the game isn’t over until it’s over. Herbert and his arm strength were on full display as he marched his team down the field for a drive that culminated in a 64-yard touchdown to Mike Williams for the go-ahead score. After Brees responded by tying the game at 27-27, Herbert would falter in overtime before the Chargers punted the ball back to the Chargers. The Chargers offense and Herbert never possessed the ball again.
Heartbreak City
But that walk off win by New Orleans wouldn’t be the last time Herbert and Los Angeles would experience a gut-wrenching loss late in the game. After taking the lead late in the fourth quarter on the road against the Denver Broncos, Herbert could do nothing but watch as Drew Lock threw the game-winning touchdown with no time left on the clock.
Then fate, as a cruel mistress, would repeat a week later but from a different perspective. This time, with the ball in his hands, Herbert would have a chance at redemption against the Las Vegas Raiders with time trickling down. Herbert fired a pass into the corner of the end zone to Williams who high-pointed the ball but was unable to come down with it. Given a second chance, Herbert’s next pass, in nearly the same spot, to Donald Parham Jr., was ruled a touchdown which would give the Chargers the win.
But upon replay, it was clear that Parham Jr. did not secure the ball and the call was overturned for yet another soul-crushing loss at the end of a game.
Looking Ahead for Justin Herbert and Chargers
Los Angeles currently sits at 2-6, but their record certainly could be better if they had received some breaks. But, that’s not how the NFL work. However, the silver lining is Herbert is everything Los Angeles envisioned he could be when they selected him to be Rivers’ successor in 2020.
Herbert has the arm, tools, and decision-making you want in a franchise quarterback and there will be better days ahead for Los Angeles. But for now, the Chargers must weather the storm and find a way to win games down the stretch. They can score in bunches with the best of them and they feature an-above average defense. There are reports of Lynn being on the hot seat due to the team’s record, but it is unclear how 2020 will play out. But the Chargers are an up and coming and exciting team that’s going to compete with Mahomes in the AFC West and in the AFC for years to come, particularly if Herbert continues to play well.
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