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If there’s one thing that can make any Oregon Ducks fan happy after a disappointing loss to the Stanford Cardinal seemingly let most of the air out of the balloon for this season, it’s the stellar play of former quarterback Justin Herbert.
Through five games so far this season, Herbert has the Chargers atop the AFC West division with a 4-1 record, throwing for 13 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. In the last three games alone, Herbert has an 11-0 INT ratio, and he’s added one TD on the ground as well.
At this point in the season, Herbert ranks 4th in the league in both passing touchdowns and passing yards, and he has the fifth most plays of 20-plus yards through five weeks. Us saying that he is in the MVP conversation isn’t just a homer pick, but something that is starting to garner some buzz around the NFL media world as well.
Who is the MVP front-runner? @PFF_Mike is going with the Chargers QB1 đź‘€ pic.twitter.com/iehtmaYJ3n
— PFF (@PFF) October 11, 2021
Going into the year, you would assume that the usual candidates will be up for the award — Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson — but there have been some young candidates to throw their name into the ring this season. Think about Josh Allen, or Kyler Murray, or even Herbert. They will need to finish the season strong, which is a big ask, but something that wouldn’t be a shock considering how they’ve started.
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