Ravens' Lamar Jackson Draws Interesting Justin Herbert Comparison

Two great quarterbacks will square off when the Baltimore Ravens face the Los Angeles Chargers.

Nov 26, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) greets Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) after defeating the Chargers 20-10 at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

There are very few NFL quarterbacks who are on the level of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, but his next test will be against one very close to it.

Los Angeles Chargers star Justin Herbert may not draw the same media attention that Jackson does, but he's quietly putting together a very impressive season. Through 10 games, he's completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 2,186 yards, 13 touchdowns and one interception. The key there is his lack of turnovers, which have helped the Chargers become one of the biggest surprises in the league this season.

Jackson and Herbert have very different play styles, with the former using his legs far more often than the latter. However, there is one area where they're very similar: their competitive fire and desire to win.

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, brother of Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, noted the similarities between the two ahead of Monday night's showdown.

“It would be like those two looking in the mirror when it comes to competitiveness and doing anything and everything for the team,” Harbaugh said Wednesday, per the Los Angeles Times. “Mirror images.”

Jim, who's in his first season back in the NFL after nine years at Michigan, has been effusive in his praise for Herbert. Just recently, he boldly proclaimed that Herbert is not just one of the best quarterbacks in the league today, but of all time.

“It is what it is. Enjoy it,” Harbaugh said Wednesday. “He’s not only one of the best in the game currently, he’s one of the best of all time.”

“I do not feel at all like I’m going out on a limb in saying that.”

Jackson and Herbert have faced off twice before, with the fomer winning both games. The Ravens beat the Chargers 34-6 in 2021, then 20-10 on the road in 2023, almost exactly a year before Monday's matchup.

This Chargers team is very different than those two, though, so if Jackson and the Ravens want to continue their hot streak against them, they're going to have to work for it.

“It’s a product of all the hard work that we put in, but at the same time, you have to focus up and realize that there’s a lot of football left,” Herbert said. “To be where we want to be, to keep going where we want to go, this is the most important stretch. It starts with the Ravens.”

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