Nick Wright rips Justin Herbert in a scathing rant after Chargers QB ranks higher than Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is one of the most talented players in the NFL. However, the star QB has come under increased scrutiny over the past few days after he was ranked above Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts in a survey of the top ten QBs in football by NFL executives, coaches, and scouts.

The ranking in question had Herbert as the No. 7 best QB in the NFL, while Hurts was ranked at No. 9.

NFL analyst Nick Wright did not agree with this, and he made it clear that Herbert has never truly led the NFL in any major statistical category since entering the league. Speaking on Monday's episode of 'First Things First,' Wright opined:

"He [Justin Herbert] has played 81 NFL games at this point. 81 and he's never led the league in anything. Anything, except for last year, he led the league in interception percentage. Unless of course you include the playoff game, in which case, he fell right to the middle of the pack when he threw more picks in the playoff game than he did in the regular season..."

Wright then continued by highlighting that Justin Herbert is not a big game player so far in his career.

"When you have played in two playoff games and one de facto playoff game, and these are your numbers compared to your regular season, I have a fair question over whether or not you're not a big game guy," Wright said.

Is the Justin Herbert criticism fair?

No quarterback in NFL history has had more passing yards through their first five seasons in the league than Justin Herbert. In his first five years in the NFL, Herbert has 21,093 passing yards, with the next highest total being legendary QB Peyton Manning at 20,618.

Furthermore, in almost an identical number of games after coming into the league at the same time, Herbert has more total yards and more total touchdowns than Hurts does in his career.

However, on the other side of the debate, Justin Herbert has struggled drastically when his team needed him the most, while Hurts has consistently risen to the occasion and performed exceptionally in the big game. Through three playoff/win-and-in games in his career, Herbert has a record of 0-3, a completion percentage of only 52.5%, and a touchdown-interception value of 5-5.

Herbert is unquestionably one of the most talented QBs in the NFL. Although there is a case to be made for Herbert's position on the ranking, his stats in the playoffs also show that he has struggled when it matters most so far in his career.