Jordan Love Dominates Headlines After Justin Herbert’s Poor Performance

The Green Bay Packers do not play the Philadelphia Eagles until Sunday afternoon, but it did not take them taking part in one of the NFL’s Saturday games for quarterback Jordan Love to be a hot topic on social media. Ever since he was selected by Green Bay in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Love has been compared, fairly or unfairly, to other quarterbacks taken that year.

Additionally, his first season as a starter in 2023 brought a great deal of debate over if he was better than Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, who was a rookie last season.

On Saturday, Stroud and the Texans took on Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers in the first game of the NFL Playoffs this year. Herbert, who was selected in the 2020 NFL Draft like Love, has long been considered one of the best players from that draft.

Until tonight.

Los Angeles Chargers Quarterback Justin Herbert Unleashed His Inner Brett Favre, but not in a Good Way

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles ChargersJan 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) drops back for a pass during the second quarter against the Houston Texans in an AFC wild card game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina

This past season, Herbert led the Chargers to an 11-6 record and fifth seed in the AFC. While he did not put up gaudy passing numbers, he did do an excellent job of taking care of the ball.

Herbert finished the 2024 NFL regular season with a 65.9% completion percentage, 3,870 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, just three interceptions, and a 101.7 passer rating.

Unfortunately for the Chargers, regular season success does not always translate to the postseason.

In Los Angeles’ 32-12 loss to the Texans in the Wild Card round on Saturday, Herbert completed just 14 of his 32 passes for 242 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions, more than he threw in the entire regular season.

It was as poor a performance as one will see from a quarterback in a NFL Playoff game. In many ways, it was reminiscent of Brett Favre completing 26 of 44 passes for 281 yards, two touchdowns, and an NFL postseason record six interceptions against the St. Louis Rams back on January 20, 2002 in the Divisional Round.

Green Bay Packers Quarterback Jordan Love Goes Viral After Justin Herbert’s Poor Performance

Jan 5, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) throws a pass during warmups prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Jan 5, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) throws a pass during warmups prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch

 

As mentioned, Love has been compared to Herbert ever since the two were drafted in 2020. Herbert was the Chargers starter from Week One on (because a team doctor collapsed Tyrod Taylor’s lung) in 2020 while Love spent his rookie season on the practice squad, and then two years as a backup.

Well, after Herbert’s dismal performance on Saturday, Packers fans are done with the comparions:

 

 

 

As fans know, Love led the Packers to an upset victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round last year, his first as the starting quarterback.

Herbert has yet to win a playoff game in five years.