Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert in 2023.
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has struggled badly against Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes. The former Oregon standout is just 1-7 head-to-head against the 29-year-old.
Furthermore, if the Chargers are serious about making a Super Bowl run, finding a way past the Chiefs isa must. They’ll get their first shotright away, opening the 2025 NFL season Friday with an international matchup in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Ahead of the Week 1 clash between these AFC West rivals, ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark didn’t hold back on Herbert. Clark believes the Los Angeles signal caller has all the pressure in this game.
“For Justin Herbert, this dude that we crown a top 10 quarterback, this person that his own coach says everybody else needs to raise their level of play in order to be in the position that he’s in,”Clark said on the September 4 edition of “First Take.”
“… You probably pushed away what Justin Herbert looked like against the Texans. You probably thought to [yourself], there ain’t no way Justin Herbert threw more interceptions in one playoff game than he did the entire season. Not Mr. ‘I could throw a football through a pinhole.’ Not him. Not ‘Look how tall he is. Look at his light, his flowing locks. Look who his new girlfriend is.’ Not that guy. Justin Herbert, whenever it matters, has been terrible.”
Ryan Clark Can’t Trust the Chargers QB
While Clark acknowledges Herbert’s talent as a quarterback, he points to his struggles in big games from college to the NFL, arguing that Los Angeles have a QB who hasn’t consistently risen to the occasion.
“Justin Herbert didn’t win big games in college as talented as he was,” Clark added. “Justin Herbertin two games in the playoffs in the league. You lose a 27-0 lead. Yougo throw four interceptions against the Texans.
“I think Justin Herbert is extremely talented. I also think Justin Herbert is the fun friend. Justin Herbert is the friend you invite over when you’re having a party. If something serious is happening, you don’t bring him over because he’s not responsible, accountable, and you can’t depend.”
Justin Herbert Needs to Rise to the Occasion
Moreover, Clark isn’t the only NFL analyst calling out Herbert to step up to the plate in a big moment.On the September 2 edition of CBS Sports HQ, NFL analyst Leger Douzable is putting pressure on Herbert to snap this skid against Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and get off on the right foot this season.
“If you’re Justin Herbert, you gotta be sick and tired of saying, ‘Patrick Mahomes is my daddy. He owns me,’” Douzable said. “That has to be ringing [in] his head every year,especially because it’s a divisional foe. Those are the games that you have to win. The easiest way to win the division is to win divisional games.
“So this is a big game in Week 1. Yes, it’s Week 1, but it’s a divisional game. And to your point, 1-7. That’s what you are versus Patrick Mahomes. That’s what your records say. That’s what your resume says. Only Justin Herbert can change that.”