LA Chargers: Justin Herbert has injury scare – Game grade

Justin Herbert nearly led the LA Chargers to an incredible comeback win on Sunday. Here’s how Herbert’s performance in the loss graded.

In what was an incredibly disappointing defeat on Sunday to the Carolina Panthers, LA Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert performed fairly well, but there is still definitely room for improvement.

Herbert finished the day 35 of 49, for a total of 330 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Justin Herbert also put the ball on the ground twice, losing it once (although I personally do not believe that the first fumble was a fumble at all).

Justin Herbert is going to get a B for the day. While I’m sure 99% of you will agree with me as you always do here at Bolt Beat, there will be the 1% who disagree. Because of that, here’s why Justin Herbert is only receiving a B for the day.

Breaking down Justin Herbert’s B grade:

Justin Herbert did have two turnovers on the day. Yes, I know that is not ideal by any means. With that said, the right side of the offensive line could not hold up throughout the entirety of the game. The interception was not great, but it was nowhere near as bad as his interception against Kansas City.

Another knock one could have on Herbert after this game was his inability to pickup the pass rush early on. The Carolina Panthers were trying to keep the parts of their defense constantly moving, and it seemed like Justin Herbert could not grasp it completely. Look for it to get better as time goes on, as the rookie looks to be as smart as they come. It is certainly something he will learn with more and more time.

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Herbert also once again seemed to have incredible poise and confidence to take chances in this game. To put it as simply as possible, the kid looks like a veteran quarterback at least in terms of staying calm and collected on the field. Justin Herbert threw an absolute strike to Keenan Allen in back of the endzone for his second career passing touchdown. The ball was something I expected to see out of Patrick Mahomes’ or Aaron Rodgers’ hand. Instead, it was the rookie quarterback in his second NFL game not afraid to make that throw. Even if you want to say he knew of the offsides penalty and decided to take the shot, there is no taking anything away from that throw.

Given the circumstances, Justin Herbert could look a hell of a lot worse through two starts. The offense looked anemic in Week 1, and this team looks very exciting with Herbert under center. There were many problems aside from Herbert’s play which contributed to the loss. Clean those up, let Herbert progress week by week, and the LA Chargers could certainly upset Tampa Bay next Sunday.