Chargers WR Shuts Down Justin Herbert’s Critiques After Calling Out Ryan Clark

Justin Herbert ended the Chargers‘ seven-game losing streak against the Chiefs with a standout performance in Brazil, silencing critics, including former player Ryan Clark, who questioned his leadership. Now, after securing the breakthrough, the tone around No. 10 has shifted, and wide receiver Ladd McConkey was quick to praise his quarterback’s performance.

“There’s people bashing him, talking about, he can’t make plays in big games. Justin’s not somebody that’s going to go and say something to somebody saying something bad about him. He’s going to let his play do the talking, and he did that,” McConkey said. Just as the wide receiver explained, the quarterback delivered a thrilling performance, completing 25 of 34 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns.

Herbert’s brilliance shone brightest on the final drive, with just over two minutes left and the Chargers needing 13 yards to seal the win. With the Chiefs out of timeouts and Quentin Johnston double-covered, Herbert took off, dodged Chris Jones, and sprinted past midfield for the game-clinching first down. Throughout the game, he delivered, completing passes to eight different receivers, four topping 50 yards. Each time Patrick Mahomes tried to rise, Herbert dominated and led the Chargers against their division rivals.

With a 27–21 win, Justin Herbert finally beat Mahomes for the first time since 2021, a redemption fans craved after last season’s wild card playoff collapse against the Texans, where he threw four interceptions, completed just 43.8% of his passes, and recorded a career-low 40.9 passer rating.

While critics kept talking about that playoff loss, Herbert used it as motivation to fuel his competitiveness. Derwin James Jr. witnessed the quarterback’s dedication firsthand. “Since that game, he hasn’t stopped working,” he said. Now, it seems McConkey’s comments arrived at just the right time after Ryan Clark’s scathing remark.

Ryan Clark changed tune fast after Justin Herbert’s enthralling performance

In the latest episode of Get Up, Clark questioned Herbert’s position in the top-10 quarterback conversation. He went on to criticize the QB for failing to perform in crucial moments, despite being a former No. 6 overall pick. “For Justin Herbert, this dude that we crowned a top-10 quarterback, this person that his own coach says everybody else needs to raise their level of play in order to be in a position that he’s in…Justin Herbert, whenever it matters, has been terrible,” he said. He even questioned the coach’s opinion on Herbert.

And it might be that McConkey, who had six catches for 74 yards in the season opener, called out Clark through his comments, though he did not mention anyone by name.

But well, after Herbert’s win against the well-prepared Chiefs, Clark shifted his tone quite fast on social media. He praised the quarterback and wrote, “Justin Herbert showed his whole entire azz tonight! Could not have played a better football game. They put it all on him and he delivered every single time!” Despite the praise, Clark did not formally retract his earlier criticism.

While we don’t know if the WR’s comments were directed at the former NFL player, the crew certainly heard Clark’s opinion about the QB. So, while Herbert was loud enough in his efforts, the entire roster gave their best to lead the Chargers.