An interesting, Cincinnati Bengals-adjacent plot twist capped off Sunday's tripleheader of Wild Card Weekend action, as Justin Herbert's Los Angeles Chargers got thumped 16-3 by the New England Patriots in Foxborough.
Herbert managed only 159 passing yards in completing 19 of 31 attempts, as the Pats hounded him all evening to the tune of six sacks. Not the type of postseason performance you'd expect from a quarterback who's so often ranked ahead of Joe Burrow by alleged experts.
Granted, Burrow's durability is a big issue. Anyone with eyeballs knows, too, that he doesn't have the horsepower in his right arm or quite the athleticism that Herbert does.
In every other conceivable way, however, how is Burrow not the superior player? That was the subjected of heated arguments in the wake of Herbert's awful showing.
Justin Herbert fails in the playoffs again, bolstering Joe Burrow's stature among elite QBs
To say it's been a rough go for Herbert in the postseason is a colossal understatement. His debut started auspiciously some years back, but the Chargers blew a 27-point lead to the Jaguars in a stunning 31-30 loss.
Then there was last year's disaster, wherein Herbert threw four interceptions in a 32-14 defeat at Houston. That Texans defense just beat Herbert again 20-16 in Week 17, even as Herbert's own D held C.J. Stroud to an 80.1 passer rating and forced two interceptions.
Why do I add that detail? Because one main contention for Burrow's alleged illegitimacy as an elite QB, or one who's better than Herbert, stem from being "carried" by his defense during the Bengals' run to Super Bowl LVI. that he's a "weapons merchant" because he has Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at this disposal.
The Chargers had the No. 1 scoring defense in 2024 and were top five in total yards allowed this season. A lot of excuse-making for Herbert, no?
Sunday's most buzz-worthy, Burrow-related topic revolved around the offensive line. And how bad Herbert's was, as he was the most-hit and most-sacked QB during the 2025 campaign.
Justin Herbert is playing with 2 blindsides pic.twitter.com/Tw5G2spIyJ
— Underdog (@Underdog) January 12, 2026
If you can't fully see the last part of that image, it shows Chargers center Bradley Bozeman ranked 41st out of 41 qualifiers in PFF's grades at his position.
Easiest counterpoint ever, served up right here:
Joe Burrow took this to the Super Bowl😭 https://t.co/YgDPQLb6xK pic.twitter.com/gKuozjpmp9
— 🎟️ (@PlutoCooked) January 12, 2026
Do people not remember that Burrow went on the road, against the No. 1-seeded, Mike Vrabel-coached Tennessee Titans, and pulled out a victory despite being sacked nine times?
Oh yeah, and Burrow had to play behind that trashy o-line in a freaking Super Bowl. Against, you know, Aaron Donald, Von Miller, and Leonard Floyd among other dynamic defenders on that Rams team. Joe Shiesty took seven sacks — including five in the third quarter alone.
Not mentioned on that Bengals graphic is left guard Quinton Spain, who played nary a single down of professional football after the Bengals' devastating 23-20 loss to the Rams.
If anyone tries to say Justin Herbert is better than Joe Burrow, let's see the former win a playoff game first before that conversation is ever had again.