Former Oregon Star Justin Herbert Gets Brutal QB Grade in Loss to Rams

The Oregon Ducks have been one of the better programs in college football at developing quarterbacks.

Oregon has continuously sent signal-callers to the NFL, with teams interested in what the players can do. But the players haven't always panned out, while some others have found success in the league.

One player who has done well in the NFL so far has been former Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert. Herbert was selected with the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers, and he's helped the team get back to winning since.

With the Chargers, Herbert has taken the franchise to the playoffs three times, but he has failed to win a postseason game. 

However, this current season hasn't gone well for Herbert and the Chargers, with the team sitting with a record of 0-7. Herbert hasn't been able to find any form of consistency so far this season, leading to all sorts of problems on the offense.

The Chargers dropped another game this past week against the rival Los Angeles Rams, with Herbert struggling again. Herbert has to figure something out; otherwise, the remainder of the year will be a real problem for all parties involved.

NFL analyst Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report put together grades for each quarterback's performance around the league in Week 8. For Herbert, he was given a grade of an "F" for his outing against the rival Rams.

In the game, Herbert threw for 257 yards and two interceptions, with no touchdown passes.  This marked the second straight game that the former Ducks star failed to register a touchdown pass, adding to concerns about his season.

Part of the issue for Herbert has been his inability to get accustomed to the new offensive schemes put in place by coordinator Mike McDaniel. McDaniel has taken the brunt of criticism so far this season, but his schemes have worked at other stops around the NFL.

Overall, Herbert has thrown for 1,398 yards with five touchdowns and 10 interceptions on the season. This simply won't get the job done, and there seems to be some disconnect around the offense.

After Week 8 of the season, Herbert ranks dead last in the NFL among qualifying quarterbacks in EPA per play. The veteran hasn't been this bad in his career, adding more questions about the 2026 season.

The Chargers will try to break the former Oregon star out of the slump that he's been in. And this could mean the team moving on from McDaniel to see if he really is the problem.