As Wild Card Weekend quickly approaches, one matchup, in particular, tells the tale of two young franchise quarterbacks that have already made a name for themselves in the NFL: Chargers’ Justin Herbert and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence.
The youthful signal-callers, who are both under 25, are two of the youngest players at the positions on the AFC playoff field. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is only 27 years old and is now the veteran quarterback for the AFC teams in the postseason.
This matchup will be an opportunity for Herbert and Lawrence to showcase their abilities in primetime.
Herbert’s level of arm strength is unique and allows him to throw all over the field, though he might be missing star wide receiver Mike Williams, who is dealing with a back issue. Nevertheless, Herbert’s offense has been riddled with injuries throughout the season, so he is no stranger to adversity.
“I think that Justin’s whole life, he has performed well in these types of games, these types of environments,” Brandon Staley said. “His last season at Oregon, he did about all you could do, as a college player. He has always played his best when the stage is the biggest.
That is how his career has been in the NFL. In primetime, the big games he has had for the first three years, he has always risen to the occasion because that is the type of competitor that he is.”
Despite dealing with fractured rib cartilage for most of the season, Herbert finished the regular season second in passing yards (4,739), the third-highest completion percentage (68.2) and 25 touchdowns.
On the other side of the field will be Lawrence, who has the build of a quarterback. He’s athletic, tall, and can make plays out of the pocket. At the ripe age of 23, Lawrence had the huge responsibility of transforming the offense under head coach Doug Pederson’s scheme. As a result, he has evolved into the ultimate playmaker for the Jaguars.
“Just more experience; more time on task, more familiarity with their skill group. Their skill group has been intact the whole season, so he has chemistry with that skill group,” Staley said on how he has seen Lawrence develop for Jacksonville.
“You can tell all of those guys in the skill positions have really improved down the stretch, as well, and featuring what they do well. I think that they have done a good job playing to Trevor’s strengths as a football player. He is the same player that he has been his whole life. Coming out of Cartersville, Georgia, he has always been a really good distributor, a guy that is a play-maker, a guy that can play well in the clutch.”
Lawrence finished the season, completing 66.3% of his passes for 4,113 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
Wild Card Weekend won’t disappoint, especially as Herbert and Lawrence go head-to-head in this AFC matchup. Get your popcorn ready.
