4 biggest challenges facing the Panthers at the Chargers in Week 3
By Dean Jones
The Justin Herbert factor
Justin Herbert‘s debut for the Los Angele Chargers was extremely encouraging. The signal-caller was thrust into the spotlight following a bizarre injury to Tyrod Taylor against the Super Bowl champions and he more than held up to his end of the bargain.
The No. 6 overall pick was composed in the pocket against a tremendous Chiefs’ defense, making some big plays under pressure to take Kansas City to overtime.
Herbert’s elusiveness in the pocket was another notable feature of his overall play. When he didn’t see a play develop correctly, the former Oregon standout didn’t hesitate to get on the move.
It’s easy to forget that Herbert was projected to be the consensus No. 1 overall pick once upon a time. Returning to college was a bad move in hindsight given his struggles, which also saw Joe Burrow surpass him after a historic season at LSU, where current Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady was leading the passing attack.
Herbert might be in the starting lineup sooner than Anthony Lynn would like, but he looked more than capable of performing consistently on the big stage. The Panthers need to make things as difficult as they possibly can, apply pressure consistently, and keep the signal-caller guessing regarding coverage schemes.
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This will give the best possible chance of putting doubt in Herbert’s mind enough for the rookie to make mistakes.