Is Surprise Chargers Starter Justin Herbert Ready to Take Over for Good?

With kickoff a minute away Sunday in Los Angeles, Chargers rookie Justin Herbert was a backup with no expectation of playing time. Ten seconds before kickoff, he suddenly was a starting NFL quarterback facing the Super Bowl champion. Now, with Adam Schefter's report that incumbent Tyrod Taylor has a punctured lung after a faulty injection, Herbert is the starter indefinitely.

The Chargers' sudden game-time QB switch to the rookie first-round pick because of Taylor's mysterious chest injury stunned viewers, and so did Herbert's performance, as he captained an offense that took a 17-9 lead into the fourth quarter before losing 23-20 in overtime. Herbert was 22-of-33 for 311 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He sealed his first NFL drive with a rushing touchdown. 

Despite the impressive debut, Herbert was going back to the bench if Taylor was "100 percent healthy," head coach Anthony Lynn said. On Monday, when Bleacher Report asked Lynn during his media availability to explain his decision to stick with Taylor, the head coach doubled down on his refusal to anoint Herbert. It went beyond loyalty to Taylor, whom he coached in Buffalo.

"I thought [Justin] came in and gave us a chance to win," he said over the Zoom call. "But there is a lot you don't know, and there is a lot we didn't get done with Justin on the field yesterday. He is a backup for a reason. He is a rookie, and there is a lot he needs to learn about this game. ...

"If Tyrod can't go and we have to go with Justin, I am perfectly content with that. I know we can win with either quarterback, but the veteran quarterback right now gives us the best chance to win. 

"And it's not like we won the damn game yesterday. We lost, last time I checked." 

Lynn said his 22-year-old quarterback was "a backup for a reason," but what do experts around the league think of Herbert?

"After Sunday's game, I'd rather play [against] Tyrod," said a high-level source whose team plays the Chargers this season. "Tyrod's experience should matter, but Herbert wasn't fazed when he was thrown into the fire on short notice. Taylor has never had the 'it' factor that franchise quarterbacks have, and Herbert has a much better touch on the ball too."

Two NFL assistant coaches agreed that Herbert's debut showed his intelligence and that he had prepared extremely well without getting many first-team reps in practice. One said he'd be inclined to move forward with the rookie as the starter but also noted that being called into action once is a whole lot different than being the guy for a season. 

"I saw the same big arm and deceptive athletic ability on Sunday that I did in college," said a veteran NFL scout who evaluated Herbert closely during his career at Oregon.

In Week 2, Herbert clearly outplayed the Week 1 Taylor in the veteran's first Chargers start, which came against a weak Bengals defense. Taylor, one of the league's most conservative quarterbacks, was 16-of-30 for 208 yards and no touchdowns. L.A.'s defense puts the Chargers in a real position to win games, and they escaped with a 16-13 victory. 

Against Kansas City, the 6'6" Herbert showed his physicality and athleticism when he shouldered a big hit from Chiefs linebacker Damien Wilson so easily that it was Wilson who took a tough bounce off the 236-pounder. Herbert quickly stood up after the contact, while the linebacker stayed down in much worse shape.

The No. 6 overall pick also showed touch in the screen game that versatile L.A. running back Austin Ekeler said he appreciated. Ekeler had just one catch for three yards in Week 1 and four for 55 yards in Week 2.

"With Philip [Rivers] gone, I know he checked the ball down to me a lot," said Ekeler, who had 92 catches for 993 yards last season. "And the first game I only had one catch, so it was nice to get a few more in my hands there." 

When Bleacher Report asked Ekeler in a media call before Wednesday's news if he thought Herbert exceeded expectations, he smiled but was hesitant to shower too much praise and risk igniting a full-on quarterback controversy.

"That's a hard question," he said. "As a pro I would expect a very high level of play from him. But also you give a little leeway to a rookie, especially a rookie in their first game. But he's also a first-round pick, so there's a lot of pull in both directions. So I think there is a lot of gray area. 

"I'm glad he had some success. He definitely had things to work on, but I am glad he had moments where he showed, 'Hey, I can be great.' I don't know if I can say that he exceeded or underplayed, but I think he put something on tape now that he can build on." 

Peter Joneleit/Associated Press

Before it became evident Herbert would start Week 3, Ekeler said he was comfortable with either quarterback, and right now "Tyrod is still in the helm." But he left the door open a bit wider for Herbert than his head coach had.

"I still think [Tyrod] is probably in the starting role, but going forward he is going to have to prove just like all of us, 'Hey, I deserve to be in this spot,'" the second-year starter. "There are always people behind or in front of you trying to hang on to a job."

For Taylor, Sunday afternoon probably felt like deja vu. He lost his starting role in Cleveland in 2018 when he suffered a concussion in Week 3 and rookie Baker Mayfield led them to a win—the Browns' first victory since 2016. Taylor never got his job back.

Starting Herbert this early in the season was not part of Lynn's plan. He's publicly supported Taylor as his starter since Rivers left in free agency in March, even after the organization drafted Herbert and even after Herbert's strong debut.

"I don't think there is anything wrong with a rookie quarterback coming in and sitting his first year instead of throwing him into the fire and letting him learn on the go," Lynn said earlier this week. "I know John Elway and Peyton Manning did that, and they took a lot of abuse, but those guys were strong-minded. They overcame it, and they are Hall of Famers. Not every quarterback can do that. I'm not saying Justin can't, and if we have to go with Justin, that is exactly what we are going to do." 

Kyusung Gong/Associated Press

Opinions vary around the league on what the best strategy is for bringing along a rookie quarterback, but for now, Lynn's hand has been forced. 

"It all depends on the head coach," said an NFL assistant coach. "There's no right or wrong way to do it."

"Personally, I wouldn't sit a first-rounder," said the high-level source with a Chargers opponent. 

There's no need to rush Taylor back now that Lynn knows the rookie backup is more than capable. 

Lynn was deliberate in pointing out Monday that Herbert did not win his first start, and as another scout pointed out, it's tough to evaluate Herbert fairly until he's the known starter and defenses can game-plan for him.

Herbert's start caught everyone—including the Chiefs defense—off guard. Now that the Panthers have tape on Herbert, his second start will be a big indicator of his potential and could determine whether Lynn remains loyal to Taylor once he returns to full health.

Still, there's something to be said for taking Patrick Mahomes and the best team in the league to overtime with just 10 seconds' notice he'd even be playing, and then losing on a 58-yard field goal after Lynn chose to punt to the Chiefs instead of going for it on 4th-and-1 from the Chargers 34.

"I have a salty taste in my mouth from last year where it seemed like every flipping game was a one-score game," Ekeler said. "We have to find a way to get over that. We don't want to go too far down the rabbit hole because it's hard to get out." 

Herbert now has another chance to play like a legitimate starter instead of "a backup for a reason" and make a case that he can keep the Chargers from crawling down that familiar rabbit hole.

Kalyn Kahler covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow her on Twitter for NFL musings and weird quarantine thoughts: @KalynKahler.