The Los Angeles Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert proved a ton of haters wrong on Friday, beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil 27-21. One nonbeliever in particular, ESPN analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark, appeared on First Take and had some sulky comments on Herbert before the start of the game.
Ryan Clark: “Justin Herbert, Whenever it Matters, Has Been Terrible”
Before the game, Clark commented on Herbert and believed the pressure was on him to perform.
“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,” Clark said.
Well, Herbert responded big-time with 318 passing yards with three touchdowns and a 131.7 passer rating against the Chiefs. Not only that, Herbert was 7-of-8, with two of those touchdowns and a 19-yard scramble all during third down. When it mattered most, Herbert delivered.
Not just that, Herbert recorded his 14th career game with three passing touchdowns and zero interceptions, the third most by a player through their first 80 career games in NFL history.
Herbert is Him
Safe to say Herbert proved a ton of doubters wrong after a disappointing performance against the Houston Texans last year in the playoffs.
Clark did acknowledge that Herbert is a talented quarterback during his segment on First Take, but his comments on Herbert seem to be ill-advised, given all of Herbert’s achievements over the last five seasons of his NFL career.
“I think Justin Herbert is extremely talented. I also think Justin Herbert is the fun friend,” Clark said. “Justin Herbert is the friend you invite over when you’re having a party. If something serious is happening, you don’t bring him over because he’s not responsible, accountable, and you can’t depend on him.”
After the game, Clark took to X (Twitter) to backtrack on his previous comments, tweeting, “Yea. 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!”
What matters the most is that the Chargers believe in Herbert. After the game, head coach Jim Harbaugh sent a three-word warning to the rest of the NFL regarding Herbert. “He’s a problem.”
Bolt Beat writer Jason Reed shared his thoughts on Herbert and proving Clark wrong, saying, “But if Friday night proved anything, it’s that Herbert will continue proving these analysts wrong by cementing himself as a truly elite quarterback in one of the league’s most talented eras. This was not a fluke, it was not an accident, it was Herbert doing what he typically does in big moments.”
As the Chargers move on to Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Herbert will continue to build on the momentum from Brazil.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Justin Herbert Makes ESPN Analyst Backtrack After Sulky Comment appeared first on Heavy Sports.