Justin Herbert is one of the most criticized quarterbacks in the league despite being one of the most talented. That is what happens when the LA Chargers fail to have any team playoff success during Herbert's five-year tenure under center.
Emphasis on team playoff success.
As impactful as the quarterback position is, Herbert cannot line up on defense and keep other offenses at bay. He cannot line up at wide receiver and catch his own passes. And while Herbert has been far from perfect in his NFL career, the fact of the matter is that Herbert has elevated the Chargers much higher than other quarterbacks would in the same situation.
But sports talk shows don't always see nuance. That, or they choose to ignore it. The nuance of Herbert's career has long been ignored, leading many to drop asinine takes about how good of a quarterback he really is. ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, who played in the league for over a decade, is the latest to jump on the anti-Herbert bandwagon.
"Justin Herbert, whenever it matters, has been terrible."@Realrclark25 shares his thoughts on Justin Herbert ahead of the Chargers' game against the Chiefs 👀 pic.twitter.com/iuGMqSNZy1
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 4, 2025
Ryan Clark's Justin Herbert take may be the worst Chargers fans have ever heard
Herbert is terrible whenever it matters? Really? That's news to Chargers fans.
Don't get us wrong, Herbert was objectively awful in the team's playoff game against the Houston Texans last season. He threw more interceptions, four, in that game than he did all season. There were reasons Herbert struggled, such as the lack of passing weapons and a horrible interior offensive line, but he rightfully shoulders most of the blame.
Herbert's other playoff outing was a historic blown lead against the Jacksonville Jaguars that should have gotten Brandon Staley fired 11 months earlier than he actually was. Herbert wasn't amazing in that game, sure, but he certainly wasn't the problem.
It is 100% fair and valid to criticize Herbert for those two playoff games. Any realistic Chargers fan would agree that Herbert dropped the ball in those games and could do better. But to say he doesn't show up any time it matters? Well, that's egregious.
Should we go back to Week 18 of the 2021 season when Herbert put the entire franchise on his back against the Las Vegas Raiders with a chance to make the playoffs on the line? Sure, the Chargers ultimately lost in overtime, but they never would have gotten to the extra period if it wasn't for Herbert.
Herbert made some of the most incredible throws of his career in that game. He threw for 383 yards with three touchdowns and just one interception. He was objectively great.
What about in 2022, when the Chargers had to go on a run to even make the playoffs? The Chargers were 6-6, right in the thick of the AFC playoff hunt. Los Angeles had a huge home game against the Miami Dolphins, who were fighting for the same playoff spot.
One unpopular analyst dubbed Justin Herbert a social media quarterback before the game. So what did he and the Chargers do? Beat the brakes off the Dolphins. The Chargers would win three more games in a row to clinch a playoff spot and have a meaningless Week 18. In that four-game run, Herbert completed 73.7% of his passes for 1,127 yards with three touchdowns and three picks.
Those weren't MVP numbers, sure, but Herbert took control of the Chargers season and led the team to the playoffs. But he never shows up when it matters.
In reality, these takes will continue being spewed as long as Herbert doesn't have a playoff win under his belt. And while that might seem like fair criticism to some, it doesn't make it factual.