LA Chargers: Decision time on Justin Herbert and 5 Week 4 overreactions

In Week 4, the LA Chargers suffered another heartbreaking loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-38.

Another week, another close loss in a game in which the LA Chargers should have been in control.

These losses have been tough on Chargers fans, and emotions are leading to several hot opinions coming from fans. Below you will find answers regarding your overreactions.

Overreaction #1: Justin Herbert should remain the starter next week and for the rest of the season.

For the last three weeks, Justin Herbert has started in place of Tyrod Taylor as Taylor has recovered from a punctured lung and likely subsequent pneumothorax.

After three weeks, we are likely approaching the time at which Tyrod Taylor will be able to return to play. Next week, the Chargers will face the Saints on Monday night football, affording Taylor a bit of additional time to get ready to play.

So, should this be Justin Herbert’s team moving forward?

Originally, this decision needed to take into account the potential of stunting Herbert’s development by putting him in too early. Through three weeks, we can confidently say that Justin Herbert is capable of overcoming substantial setbacks, and we should not worry about stopping his growth by putting him on the field.

Now, the main consideration should simply be who gives the Chargers the best chance to win on a weekly basis.

With what we have seen from Justin Herbert in the past few weeks, it is clear that he gives the Chargers the best chance to win moving forward.

Week 4 is a perfect culmination of that point.

Clearly, Herbert still has some mistakes that need to be fixed. The fumble on the handoff to Joshua Kelley can be partially blamed on him, and his interception at the end of the game was a very poor read.

Despite these two mistakes, the number of mistakes made by Herbert each week seems to be decreasing, while the number of impressive throws remains high.

The deep passes to Jaylen Guyton and Tyron Johnson were excellent and could not have been placed better. While both receivers were open, they needed the ball in stride to score, and they got perfect deliveries from Herbert.

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Furthermore, Justin Herbert’s ball placement on other throws shows great accuracy as well as excellent recognition of coverage.

Herbert’s touchdown throw to Donald Parham Jr. was placed in the perfect spot to where Parham could use his physical ability to make the play. Another throw was made to Keenan Allen that required an excellent catch by Allen, yet Herbert put it in the perfect spot where only Allen had a chance to get it.

Herbert had an excellent game despite some mistakes, and he continues to show growth that gives additional reason to name him the starter.

Despite this performance, there is still a chance that Tyrod Taylor starts next week.

While he does not give the Chargers the best chance to win, it is important to consider that we do not see everything from the outside.

For example, Tyrod Taylor may have been demonstrating excellent command of the offense in practice that has yet to be unleashed in a full game situation. Furthermore, the locker room may respond poorly to Taylor losing his job due to a medical mistake. Because of these factors, we should not rush to judge next week’s decision too rapidly.

However, based on all of the information that we have, the choice is obvious. Despite some mistakes, Justin Herbert gives the Chargers the best chance to win games right now, and he should start.

Verdict #1: Not an overreaction