Comparing Justin Herbert to Philip Rivers, who was the better QB?

Justin Herbert had debatably the greatest passing season ever in a rookie season for a quarterback just a few years ago, breaking all sorts of records. Now that the Chargers’ signal-caller has finished his first three seasons in the league, there can be a deep dive into comparing Herbert to the late Charger great, Philip Rivers. 

It can be deceiving when comparing athletes that played in different decades, however, the great passers in the history of the NFL have records that have stood the test of time.

A major difference between Herbert and Rivers is when in their career they became the starter. 

Rivers didn’t get thrust into the starting QB job until his third season, whereas Herbert has been in charge since his second ever game, as he was forced into the start after Tyrod Taylor was unable to play right before game-time. 

It is only fair to compare the Charger QB’s first three seasons as the starting QB

Rivers got put in a great situation taking over for Drew Brees where Rivers at the age of 26 instantly led the bolts to a 14-2 record in 2006. 

This was also the season where LaDainian Tomlinson broke the single-season touchdown record that stands today, which is a big part in their success that season. Rivers still managed to throw 22 touchdown passes and over 3388 yards in a run-heavy offense.

Herbert was not planned to play early into his first season at the young age of 22, but he made it impossible for Anthony Lynn to give the starting quarterback job back to Taylor when he was healthy. 

The 2020 Chargers team was a mess, where the team finished with a 7-9 record despite Herbert exploding onto the scene.

In this chaotic season, Herbert broke the rookie records in passing touchdowns, most 3 touchdown pass games, completions, and many more.

Interestingly, both QBs’ first season starting had their head coach fired, leading to a complete change in their offenses.

In River’s second season, he almost had identical stats to his 2006 season, passing for 21 touchdowns on 3152 yards. A slight sophomore slump hit Rivers, but he still led the bolts to an 11-5 record.

Herbert ignored the sophomore slump concept and topped his spectacular rookie season throwing 38 touchdown passes on 5014 passing yards which was just second in the league behind Tom Brady for the 2021 season. He also improved enough to carry the team to a 9-8 record while still missing the playoffs.

Herbert had proven many of the doubters wrong at this point by joining the ranks of the 10 passers in NFL history to throw more than 5000 yards.

Season two as a starter, Rivers led his team to two very successful seasons with post season runs whereas Herbert shattered records but failed to reach the postseason. Football is the ultimate team sport, which is why Herbert takes the crown so far, as Herbert made the bigger statistical jump despite the worse situation of the two.

In the final season to make a three-year comparison between the two QBs, Rivers put his name on the map throwing for 4,009 yards and 34 touchdowns in 2008. In a more run-heavy decade than Herbert, 34 passing touchdowns were enough to lead the league (ironically tied with Drew Brees). However, the Chargers record took a step back, resulting in an 8-8 season.

Herbert, in this most recent season, was put in a situation where many offensive weapons missed a big chunk of the season and poor offensive play-calling led to a statistical decline for Herbert. He managed to throw 25 passing touchdowns and a whopping 4,739 yards leading the Bolts to his first-ever playoff game posting a 10-7 record. 

In summary, it took Rivers a bit longer in age to be able to lead the team on his own without a heavy run game, but he had more team success. Herbert had a disappointing season because of the expectations set after his sophomore season, but still has proven himself to be a top QB in the game today with limitless potential.

Overall, Herbert still takes the crown, but this does show that Rivers’ greatness in his decade is amazing, just not up to the level that Herbert has set on his way to becoming an all-time great.

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Featured image courtesy of Chargers.com

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