Los Angeles Chargers first-round draft pick Justin Herbert made his NFL debut Sunday on very short notice against the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Under those circumstances any sensible person would expect him to do poorly and not hold it against him.
Justin Herbert, though, had different ideas.
Justin Herbert threw for 311 yards and a touchdown with a 66.7% completion rate. He also ran for 18 yards and a touchdown. While maybe not quite elite numbers overall, they are very solid numbers for a rookie's first game in the NFL. What makes his performance even more remarkable is the fact that it was against the Chiefs defense, which is considered one of the best in the NFL. Not only was it done against the Chiefs defense, but it was also done on incredibly short notice. Herbert found out he would be starting due to Tyrod Taylor having chest pain right before kickoff. To be able to turn it on that quickly, without any real preparation is very impressive.
Regardless of the loss, Justin Herbert's performance in his first career start has to be graded highly. To be able to be successful against one of the better defenses of the NFL on only moments notice has to be looked at as a big win.
Now the question is where does he go from here? According to Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn Taylor is still considered their starter, but is that really the case? Considering how well Justin Herbert played on such short notice one has to wonder how short of a leash Taylor would have if he even is given the reins again once he comes back. One has to think that this performance made Herbert the locker room and organizational favorite to start the remainder of the season.
A lot of this will be determined by how long Taylor is out, as well as how well Herbert plays if he starts again next week. Luckily for the Chargers and Justin Herbert, they will be playing against the struggling Carolina Panthers, who are without star running back Christian McCaffrey for an extended period of time.
Will Justin Herbert show that this week was not just a fluke? Will Taylor take over the starting role this week instead? Who will be the starter by the end of the season and will this impact the AFC playoff race? One freak injury and one A+ game has suddenly made the Chargers the most interesting story in the NFL.
Follow Us
Subscribe