Justin Herbert stole the show as a rookie last year, running away with the OROY award. However, in year 2, Herbert is ready to do even more damage.
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The second year quarterback returns to a team that has greatly improved during the offseason. Many are pegging the Chargers to be playoff contenders if the ball bounces the right way.
The playoffs is inevitably the next big hurdle Justin Herbert will have to clear. He’s already shown he possess elite talent throwing the ball, but now it’s time to bring it all together for Los Angeles.
Will Justin Herbert Lead The Los Angeles Chargers To The Playoffs?
Herbert’s road to the starting job in the NFL was certainly more bizarre than most rookie quarterbacks. Herbert was taken 6th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, but the Chargers signed Tyrod Taylor as a contingency plan to ease Herbert into the game when he was ready.
That plan soon fell apart as in week 2, Herbert had to start for the Chargers after a doctor accidentally punctured Tyrod Taylor’s lungs. Herbert took the job and never looked back. He threw for a staggering 4,336 yards with 31 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions.
He was 39 yards away from breaking Andrew Luck’s record for most rookie passing yards, finished with 36 total touchdowns breaking Cam Newton’s rookie record, and had 396 completions breaking Carson Wentz’s record.
The hope is that Herbert can carry this momentum with into next season. The Chargers solidified their line by drafting Rashawn Slater, bolstered their secondary by picking Asante Samuel Jr., and even gave Herbert new weapons to work with in Josh Palmer and Tre’ McKitty.
This Chargers team is a legitimate threat in the AFC. Last year, the Chargers failed to make the playoffs, but if they had performed even slightly better in the clutch they could have been there too.
8 of their 9 losses came by a deficit of 10 points or less, and oftentimes the Chargers held a lead heading into the fourth quarter, only to blow it. If the Chargers can work on their late-game execution, we could be seeing them playing come January. They certainly have the talent level to do so.
