It only took one game for rookie Justin Herbert to prove that he’s worth being the Chargers’ starting quarterback moving forward on Sunday against the defending the Super Bowl champions.
Herbert started the game in place of Tyrod Taylor, who didn’t play due to chest pains. He completed 22 of his 33 pass attempts for 311 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He added four more carries for 18 yards, which included a four-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
However, despite Herbert’s solid outing, there’s still a chance that he could go back to standing on the sidelines after this week. Following the game, coach Anthony Lynn said Taylor will remain the starter if he’s healthy.
“I am going to wait and check on my starting quarterback and see how he is doing,” Lynn said. “He is our starter for a reason. If he’s 100 percent ready to go, he’s our starter. I know Justin can pick up the slack if he can’t [go].”
In a statement released Sunday night, the team said Taylor had been discharged from the hospital. “His status for next Sunday’s game will be determined later this week.”
While he had a couple of rookie mistakes in his debut, Herbert flashed his arm and athleticism, all while staying composed against arguably the toughest team in the NFL.
Even though the Chargers didn’t see this coming, and were hoping to let him sit and grow, Herbert proved he can play at this level right now.
It’s understanding why Lynn would want to go back to Taylor because of his ball security, but Los Angeles has a really good young quarterback. The team needs to continue to build on this performance, and benching him surely won’t build up his confidence.