Justin Herbert was the star of the show in the Los Angeles Chargers’ Week 1 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night, and that happened just days after ESPN analyst Ryan Clark called him out.
On “Get Up” on Thursday, Clark seemed to hint he didn’t think Herbert was a top-10 quarterback, while also bashing the former No. 6 overall pick for failing to come through when it matters most.
“For Justin Herbert, this dude that we crowned a top-10 quarterback, this person that his own coach says everybody else needs to raise their level of play in order to be in a position that he’s in…Justin Herbert, whenever it matters, has been terrible,” he said.
Just in case you were wondering, yes, the Chargers saw that comment.
After the game, Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey, who tallied six catches for 74 yards in the 27-21 win, referenced Clark’s comment, which looked silly after what Herbert did against Kansas City.
“There’s people bashing him, talking about he can’t make plays in big games,” McConkey said. “Justin’s not somebody that’s going to go and say something to somebody. …He’s going to let his play do the talking, and he did that.”
Herbert completed 25-of-34 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns in the win. He also added seven carries for 32 yards, with one of those attempts being a game-sealing scramble late in the fourth quarter.
As the Herbert was dissecting the Chiefs’ defense, Clark was posting about him on X and was very complimentary. What he didn’t do, however, is come close to walking back his comment.
Surprise, surprise.
“Justin Herbert showed his whole entire azz tonight! Could not have played a better football game. They put it all on him and he delivered every single time!” Clark wrote.
While it’s true Herbert hasn’t been able to get the job done in the playoffs, he has led the Chargers to 12 fourth-quarter comebacks and 16 game-winning drives during his career, so it’s not like he hasn’t come through in the clutch before.
Herbert showed that he is very much a top-10 quarterback in the NFL and he is going to climb that list if he keeps playing the way he did on Friday night.
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