Justin Herbert picked a terrible time for a terrible performance.
The Los Angeles Chargers quarterback played poorly Saturday in a 32-12 Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans. He completed only 14-of-32 passes for 242 yards with four interceptions. Without a somewhat fluky 86-yard touchdown pass to Ladd McConkey, those numbers would have looked even worse.
It’s not the performance expected from a quarterback whose five-year, $262.5 million contract runs through the 2029 season. That’s a franchise quarterback contract, and Herbert did not deliver a franchise quarterback game against Houston.
NFL media quickly weighed in on Herbert’s disastrous outing. There were plenty of damning remarks, but Emmanuel Acho’s brutal X post is a good place to start.
“I’ve never said Justin Herbert was bad, he’s not. I’ve only said that he was overrated and over praised. Both of which have never been more obviously true,” Acho posted.
Acho couldn’t help getting in another dig at Herbert.
FS1’s Nick Wright pointed out it’s not Herbert’s first playoff flop.
Others pointed to Herbert’s reputation for having great tools, but he’s still trying to translate that into performance.
Robert Griffin III said the media must hold Herbert accountable for another playoff fail.
And finally, Ken Fang pointed out this bizarre oddity, that in a 1979 playoff game, the Houston Oilers intercepted five passes from Chargers QB Dan Fouts.
Fouts, of course, is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and proved himself in numerous big games. Herbert is still trying to prove he can win on the big stage.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.