THE TAKE
Tonight is a tough one to critique Herbert on. He was under siege the entire night, and most of the season… Still, it’s three post season games and he’s underperformed in every one of them. At some point he has to show he’s more than a very talented regular season QB!
BOLDNESS
35/100
GRADE
78/100
PLAYERS / TEAMS
Justin Herbert
GRADING CRITERIA
TRUE IF
Herbert continues to post below-average playoff performances (e.g., below 60% completion rate, multiple turnovers, or a passer rating under 85) in future postseason games without leading his team to a deep playoff run (conference championship or Super Bowl). Take is
FALSE IF
Herbert demonstrates a signature postseason performance — high efficiency, limited turnovers, and a playoff win while playing under pressure — that mirrors his regular-season capability.
recency biasvagueunfalsifiable
OUTCOME
CONFIRMED TRUEHerbert's third playoff appearance, a 16-3 loss to the New England Patriots on January 12, 2026, further cemented his poor postseason record. He completed just 19 of 31 passes for 159 yards, zero touchdowns, was sacked six times, and lost a fumble — resulting in a career postseason passer rating of just 64.7 across three games. He remains 0-3 in the playoffs with no deep run, fully validating Ryan Clark's take.