Jalen Hurts was the true winner of Texans victory over Chargers

Before every season, somebody ranks the best NFL quarterbacks. A simple task, widdling 32 starting QBs down to the crème de la crème at football's most important position. And, before every season, it seems that Justin Herbert is ranked ahead of Jalen Hurts.

This past offseason, the ESPN QB rankings put Herbert at No. 6. Hurts didn't even crack the top 10. We cannot deny the talent of the Los Angeles Chargers' signal-caller, but the disrespect toward Hurts is palpable. Why precisely this has become such a lightning-rod debate topic — why these two quarterbacks are eternally pitted against one another — is unclear. But, alas, it's the world we live in.

The "reason," if we can call it that, is Herbert's penchant for postseason stinkers. Hurts, on the other hand, has a history of elevating his performance in the playoffs. Herbert goes from great to bad. Hurts goes from good to great.

It would appear that 2025 is set to follow that trend. Herbert threw four interceptions on Saturday in the Chargers' Wild Card loss to Houston. That is more than he threw in 17 regular season starts combined. Hurts, meanwhile, goes to battle with the second-place Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, so we won't know his postseason arc until later.

Herbert's remarkable meltdown on Saturday, however, has captured the special attention of an especially loud Eagles fandom. In Game of Thrones, the North remembers. In football, Philadelphia remembers.

Eagles fans dance on Justin Herbert's grave after another postseason letdown

Is this debate over? Probably not. Herbert is better than Saturday's performance and Hurts is, well, still playing. Both have long careers ahead of them, during which narratives with shift and evolve, as they do with every player. The Chargers and Eagles aren't exactly rivals — we won't see much of Herbert vs. Hurts head-to-head — but there will be more postseason appearances on the horizon for both quarterbacks. Patience is a virtue when trying to gauge a player's greatness.

That said... Hurts did famously throw for 304 yards and a touchdown in Philadelphia's 38-35 loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. He also ran for 70 yards and another three scores. It will go down as one of the most impressive Super Bowl performances in recent memory, even if it came in a loss. One might think that would, in most cases, give him the benefit of the doubt over a chronic postseason underperformer in most debates.

Hurts absolutely does not possess the same arm talent as Herbert, but his mobility, poise, and toughness are all special traits. Hurts' prolific running stats are more than a byproduct of the 'tush push.' He can get outside the pocket, extend plays with his legs, and reel off big gains under pressure. He has dealt with a few inconsistencies in the regular season, but Hurts completed a higher percentage of his passes than Herbert in 2024 and was responsible for significantly more touchdowns when factoring in the run game. He also registered two fewer starts due to injury.

Both quarterbacks have their enviable traits and their unavoidable shortcomings, but anybody pretending like Herbert is a clear-cut better player after this performance on this stage ought to reconsider.