NFL Week 14 reactions: Justin Herbert-Tua Tagovailoa debate officially over

NFL Week 14: The Justin Herbert-Tua Tagovailoa Debate is, and was always over

Last week, I talked about how Tua Tagovailoa is who we thought he was after an underwhelming performance against the 49ers. Well, that was the case on Sunday night when the Dolphins traveled to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers.

The week leading up to the game sparked a lot of conversation about who was better between Justin Herbert and Tagovailoa. There were actually pundits who said that Tagovailoa is better than Herbert and used reasons like “Tua wins more than Herbert” or “Tua is more accurate”.

Well, none of those things happened on Sunday night, and you did not even have to know the result of the game to understand who the better quarterback is.

Herbert proved that he was one of the best young quarterbacks in the league and that Tagovailoa is nowhere close to his talent and ability.

Tagovailoa is not overly athletic, does not possess a strong arm, and is quite small. The one thing that he has been able to lean on is his accuracy. That has been a non-factor in the last two games for the Dolphins’ quarterback. In the last two weeks, the 24-year-old quarterback has completed 45.2 percent of his passes, his yards per attempt is 7.2 compared to his season average of 9, he has thrown three touchdowns and two interceptions, and his passer rating was 73.1 compared to his season average of 115.7.

Watching the first half alone on Sunday night, you would have never guessed that the supposedly most accurate quarterback in the league is Tagovailoa. He went 3-15 for 25 yards and no touchdowns. Meanwhile, Herbert completed 24 of 29 pass attempts for 222 yards and a touchdown.

What was most troubling when watching Tagovailoa’s performance was the fact that it was against a defense without Joey Bosa and Derwin James, in addition to other injuries. Meanwhile, Herbert was playing with an offensive line that featured three rookies because of injuries, giving him little time in the pocket. While Tagovailoa struggled with pressure, Herbert’s movement within the pocket allowed him to make incredible throw after incredible throw.

The difference in arm talent was also on display on Sunday night. The zip on Herbert’s ball is leagues above Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa had multiple passes knocked down because there was little velocity on the ball. They were accurate throws, but the lack of velocity was the culprit for why the passes were incomplete.

This should have never been a debate, and this game should put any Tua vs. Herbert discussion to bed.