Emmanuel Acho takes shots at Justin Herbert after Chargers QB loses to Tua Tagovailoa’s Dolphins in thrilling encounter
Emmanuel Acho compared Tua Tagovailoa favorably to Justin Herbert after the Miami Dolphins edged out the Los Angeles Chargers 36-34 in the 2023 season opener for both teams. It was an instant classic and although it is just the first week, we doubt if there will be many games that will be better than this one.
Both teams ended up scores above 30 points. Justin Herbert was not bad. He threw for 228 yards, had a single touchdown, no interception and ended up with a passer rating of 99.1. But it was blown out of the water by Tua Tagovailoa, who ended up with 466 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 110.
However, what Emmanuel Acho took issue with was the clutch play by both quarterbacks. In a see-saw game, when the Miami Dolphins were down, their quarterback led them on touchdown-scoring drive. He completed five of seven passes in a 71-yard drive.
When the Chargers got a similar opportunity towards the end of the game when they were two points down, their quarterback did not pull anything out of the hat. He grounded the ball once and took two sacks to end the game.
Emmanuel Acho pointed that out in stark terms, in what could only be considered a dig at the Los Angeles quarterback.
Is Emmanuel Acho fair to downplay Justin Herbert while bigging up Tua Tagovailoa?
While Tua Tagovailoa was impressive tonight, maybe we should wait some time until we assign him to be the better quarterback when compared with Justin Herbert. The Los Angeles Chargers quarterback averages 286.3 passing yards per game, which is the second-highest of all time. Only Patrick Mahomes is ahead of him in that stats category with 302.1 yards per game.
Tua Tagovailoa, meanwhile, has 229.2 yards per game in his career. This average eliminates all his struggles staying fit and avoiding injuries and only considers the games he has played. Today was a special day, helped in no small part by Tyreek Hill, who had 215 yards of his own and two touchdowns.
And that is what it comes down to. A quarterback is only as good as his receiver and there was no Tyreek Hill playing for the Chargers. Emmanuel Acho should consider this in his analysis.
But a few more performances like this by Justin Herbert, following on from his comeback playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last year, Emmanuel Acho might find himself justified to put Tau Tagovailoa ahead, even if not yet.