One of Sunday’s most entertaining games unfolded in Tampa where the league’s youngest starting quarterback engaged in a shootout with the oldest.
Tom Brady and the Buccaneers got the best of Justin Herbert and the Chargers in the end, but the Chargers rookie’s play left the Bucs impressed with what they saw during a 38-31 win. Brady said Herbert’s “got obviously all the abilities, got a great arm, and moves really well” after watching the first-rounder go 20-of-25 for 290 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians shared a bit of what he told Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn after the game, including a reference to one play Herbert made to evade the pass rush before completing a pass.
“I told Anthony after the game, You’ve got a great one. . . . That looked like Mahomes, where we had an all-out blitz, and he just kept retreating. Then he threw a dime down the field. For rookies to make plays like that, you know they’re special,” Arians said, via Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times.
Lynn has said that Tyrod Taylor remains the team’s starter when he’s healthy. The circumstances of Lynn’s absence from the lineup complicate things, but Herbert’s play is making it increasingly difficult to take him off the field for any reason.