It’s unlikely that Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is going to start the season opener against the Bengals. Instead, Tyrod Taylor will be the one with the keys to start the 2020 campaign.
That doesn’t mean Herbert won’t take a snap in his rookie season, though. If Taylor struggles then there’s a strong possibility that the first-round pick will take the reigns.
When will that be?
Fox Sport’s Colin Cowherd took a crack at predicting when that would be, which includes when the rookie will get his first NFL victory.
“Tyrod will open up with a win against Cincinnati, will lose to Kansas City, beat Carolina,” Cowherd said. “And then he will have a two-game losing streak at Tampa Bay and at New Orleans. The staff will stick with him.
He will go on a four-game winning streak. Chargers and Tyrod will beat the Jets, Miami, Jacksonville and the Raiders. Then they will face Denver and Buffalo, losing both on the road.
The Chargers staff will realize that we are 6-5 and have struggled against the better defenses that we have faced, which is Tampa, New Orleans, Denver and Buffalo. It’s time.
They come back at home against New England. Justin Herbert gets his first win Week 13 at home. Now, the coaching staff is all in on Tyrod Taylor. But they will look at Kansas City pulling away from them. My prediction is Denver is a wild card.
They get New England at home, and the rest of the schedule is very manageable. They’re going to give Justin the team in Week 13 and he wins.”
Like I’ve said before, Taylor will remain the starter unless the team blows it up with him under center. Cowherd’s prediction of Herbert not starting until the tail end of the season is very sensible.
By keeping Herbert off of the field, he will be able to learn under quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton to fix up any kinks to his game and get adapted to the speed of the NFL.
