Justin Herbert was the third quarterback taken in the 2020 NFL Draft, but it’s already clear the Los Angeles Chargers landed a superstar with the No. 6 overall pick. Herbert has been one of the NFL’s most electric throwers pretty much ever since he stepped on an NFL field. In the Chargers’ 37-21 win over the New York Giants in Week 14 on Sunday, Herbert threw what might be the best pass of the NFL season.
Justin Herbert’s 63-yard touchdown heave was the best pass of the NFL season
An absolute dime from Justin Herbert.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
With the Chargers at their own 41-yard-line with 25 seconds left in the first half, Herbert peeled right for a bootleg and launched a bomb that fell into the hands of wide receiver Jalen Guyton for a touchdown. It looked like even the camera man couldn’t believe Herbert was throwing the ball that far downfield.
That’s an absolute dime on a deep long ball on what’s officially a 59-yard touchdown pass. How many quarterbacks alive can make that throw? I’m honestly not sure if anyone else can.
Here’s the advanced numbers on Herbert’s throw: it’s the second longest in-air completion of the year at 63.8 yards. That was the tenth touchdown pass of Herbert’s career that traveled at least 55 yards in the air, the most in the league over the last two years.
Herbert finished the game 23-of-31 for 275 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He now has 30 pass touchdowns on the year, becoming the first player in NFL history to throw at least 30 touchdowns in each of the first two years of his career.
The Chargers are now 8-5 and have won three of their last four. Herbert deserves more MVP buzz. It feels strange to anoint a 23-year-old one of the league’s best QBs already, but Herbert has objectively ascended to that level.
Has there been a more impressive throw in the NFL this year? I don’t think so.
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