Justin Herbert's Sideline Quote Goes Viral in Final Minute vs. Raiders

Like many NFL fans, the Chargers quarterback shared his thoughts on a potential tie.

Similar to many others in the NFL world on Sunday night, a potential playoff-altering tie was at the forefront of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert's mind. His thoughts just happened to go viral.

With the Chargers and Raiders tied at 32–32 with under a minute left in overtime, Herbert was caught on NBC's broadcast apparently saying something along the lines of “I've never wanted a tie so bad.”

Justin Herbert: "I've never wanted a tie so bad" pic.twitter.com/iRkn8QaHsx

— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) January 10, 2022

A tie would have secured a playoff spot for both the Raiders and Chargers at the expense of the Steelers, but the Raiders ended up kicking a game-winning field goal following a controversial Chargers timeout. 

After the game, Herbert appeared to confirm Twitter's armchair mouth-reading experts.

“I had never been rooting for a tie more in my life,” Herbert told the Associated Press. “That’s the unfortunate part of being so close.

“... It’s tough. The whole goal is to get to the playoffs and eventually win a Super Bowl. It didn’t go our way tonight and that’s the unfortunate part.”

When asked about the factors that led to the Chargers' loss, which eliminated them from playoff contention, Herbert blamed it on a slow start. Los Angeles trailed 10–0 at the end of the first quarter.

“I thought we executed well on fourth down, especially those two drives, but it wasn’t enough and that’s the unfortunate part,” Herbert said. “We were too far behind and offensively we didn’t get enough going in the first half.”

In the end, Herbert attempted a season-high 64 passes, finishing with 383 yards and three touchdowns. But it wasn't enough for the tie he so desperately sought. 

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