Trevor Lawrence was excellent in Week 1 and may genuinely be taking another leap (it is his second year in the system) But āTrevor is who the media wants Justin Herbert to beā is a ācatchy lineāā¦not an accurate description of their careers.
Through each quarterbackās first five seasons:
Herbert: 66.5%, 21,093 passing yards, 137 TD, 45 INT and a 96.7 passer rating.
Lawrence: 62.8%, 17,822 passing yards, 98 TD, 58 INT and an 86.3 passer rating.
That isnāt a marginal advantage. Herbert leads every passing category listed.
Lawrence does have the better postseason rĆ©sumĆ©: 1ā2 compared with Herbertās 0ā3. Herbert also deserves criticism for his poor playoff performances. But Lawrenceās lone playoff victory began with four interceptions, while Jacksonvilleās defense held the Chargers to three second-half points. If Lawrence receives credit for completing the comeback while Herbert receives all the blame for the lead disappearing, then weāre evaluating team results not applying a consistent standard to quarterback play.
That same inconsistency appears with Mahomes. When evaluating him, You correctly discuss receiver limitations, protection, drops, defense and coaching. But when those factors affect Herbertā¦or sometimes Lawrenceā¦theyāre dismissed as āexcuses.ā Context cannot be valid for one quarterback and forbidden for another.
Trevor deserves praise for Week 1. That performance doesnāt retroactively rewrite five seasons. Based on their actual production, Herbert has performed closer to what people expected Lawrenceā¦.the āgenerationalā No. 1 pick..to become than the other way around.
Critique Herbert honestly. Praise Lawrence honestly. Just use the same rubric for everybody.