The LA Chargers came up short against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. Despite a pick-six being the difference in the game, not very many people had anything bad to say about Justin Herbert. Herbert played a great game and showed a lot of fight by staying in the game and at least giving his team a chance with fractured rib cartilage.
That being said, there are always going to be critics and naysayers regardless of how talented someone is. Fox Sports analyst and former NFL player Emmanuel Acho has certainly taken a critical stance of Herbert after Thursday's loss.
And quite frankly, it is one of the most outrageous takes that someone could have on the third-year quarterback. There is no doubt that every Chargers fan is going to be outraged with what Acho had to say.
.@EmmanuelAcho: Justin Herbert is good but last night proved that he’s not on Mahomes’ level. pic.twitter.com/AsoXRdZr9Z
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) September 16, 2022
This is quite an angle to take on Herbert, especially considering that the pick-sixes Acho is talking about weren't awful plays by Herbert. Simply going back and watching the tape would show that and we are surprised that Acho didn't at least do that considering this hot take.
Debunking Emmanuel Acho's ridiculous take on Chargers QB Justin Herbert:
The first interception mentioned as a pick-six to former Charger Adrian Phillips against the New England Patriots last season. That play was somewhat similar to Thursday's pick-six as Herbert was looking to go to Jared Cook on an underneath route and there was a miscommunication.
Cook ran the wrong route and was out of position for where the throw should have been. Does Herbert deserve some blame for not recognizing this? Sure. But to call it his fault outright when this is how the offense operates is silly.
Speaking of Cook, the exact same thing practically happened in the pick-six thrown against the Houston Texans. Cook was meant to run a slant and he stopped on a stick route. Herbert expected the slant, threw it to where Cook would have been in stride, and it resulted in an interception.
The pick-six against the Broncos is perhaps the silliest to include. For those that remember, that was a pass to Austin Ekeler in the flat that bounced right off of Ekeler's hands into the air and was intercepted in stride for the pick-six. But that is Herbert's fault, right?
What makes Acho's take even funnier is the fact that he himself was absolving Justin Herbert of blame during the game. He is directly going against his own take about Herbert.
Fatigue makes a coward of us all. That pick 6 wasn’t on Herbert, it was on fatigue… see for yourself! #TNF pic.twitter.com/3DRvJFWa16
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) September 16, 2022
Should Justin Herbert be absolved of all blame for all of these interceptions? Absolutely not. Herbert himself would tell you that he played a big role in these plays, even if most of the blame is on his pass-catchers in these specific instances.
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But to pass it off as some kind of trend for Herbert early in his NFL career? That is ridiculous.