Justin Herbert, the towering Chargers signal-caller, exploded onto the NFL scene in 2020, setting league records and snatching Offensive Rookie of the Year. What felt like his most incredible, superhuman feat that year, his league-best 99.4 passer rating under pressure, has done a complete 180 since. Heading into Week 3 against the Bills, that massive drop is the biggest storyline hanging over his head.
The Promise: Rookie Year Dominance
Josh Allen and Justin Herbert, these two absolute titans are arguably the NFL’s most physically intimidating quarterbacks. You’ve got Allen, 6’5” and 237 pounds, and Herbert, a towering 6’6” and 236 pounds, both armed with those rocket-launcher arms that make you gasp. They both exploded onto the scene in 2020, taking the league by storm. Allen went off for 4,544 yards, 37 passing touchdowns, and even eight rushing scores, all with just 10 interceptions. But Herbert? Man, he set a ridiculous number of league records for a first-year quarterback, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year. His superhuman feat? A 99.4 passer rating under pressure, the highest in the entire league for any qualifier. With his insane mobility, arm strength, and pinpoint accuracy, everyone thought this guy would literally never flinch when the pocket got hot. It felt like a guaranteed superpower for his whole career, right?
The Plunge: Five Seasons of Struggle
Well, that superpower just up and vanished. After that legendary rookie season, Herbert has done a complete 180 against pressure, and it’s been tough to watch. In his second season, his under-pressure rating tanked to 77.9, which was only 21st-best in the entire league. The very next year? It slid even further to 70.3, putting him at 28th. Then came 2023, where he managed a meager 62.6 rating, ranking a painful 40th out of 50 qualifiers. Yeah, you read that right, 40th! It raised slightly to 72.1 in 2024, landing him at 29th, and last year it stabilized a bit at 74.2, which was still just 27th highest among 50 qualifiers. We’re talking five consecutive seasons now where this dude has struggled in a key area he once owned. This season, through just two games, it’s a grim 61.8, only 19th in the NFL. Compare that to Allen, who has been inside the Top 20 in under-pressure passer rating every single season since 2021, and is currently sitting at a jaw-dropping second place with a 106.3 rating while under duress through two games. The difference is absolutely stark, another massive gap between these two quarterbacks.
Week 3’s Critical Showdown
This Sunday, when Herbert faces the Buffalo Bills, his performance under pressure isn’t just a stat line, it’s THE storyline. Especially with his reserve-laden offensive line, how he handles the heat could tell us everything about whether that rookie-year magic is truly gone forever, or if he can finally turn this trend around. You know the Bills are coming to bring the heat.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Buffalo Rumblings.
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