In Justin Herbert, playmaker, and Bo Nix, comeback king, Ducks boast 2 NFL stars

Justin Herbert showed his competitive fire in a 27-20 win over the Titans Sunday. He threw a pick-6 on the second play of the game and shook off six sacks to throw for 250 yards and two touchdowns, bowling over a defender for a key first down in the third quarter.

With left tackle Joe Alt carted off the field with an ankle sprain, Herbert slid into the end zone for a clinching touchdown with 12:58 to play. He found fullback Scott Matlock for a two-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter for a 7-7 tie, then lasered a pass in the right corner of the end zone to Quentin Johnson in the right corner of the end zone to take the lead in the second.

Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said after the game,
“There’s no other ways I think that he can impress, you know? But then every time I think that, then he finds a way to, you know, it’s like another rung on the ladder of esteem. Yeah, he’s that guy. He’s that competitor.”

He also led the team in rushing with nine carries for 57 yards, including a 29-yard run. The win on the road brought the Bolts to 6-3, second in the AFC West and firmly in the playoff chase, a game behind Denver and a game ahead of 5-4 Kansas City, off to their worst start since 2021.

In Houston the Broncos were down 15-7 in the fourth quarter before Bo Nix rallied them for 11 points to beat the Texans 18-15.

It was the third straight game Nix had pulled off a final period comeback for the Broncos. He struggled all game but found Courtland Sutton for a 30-yard touchdown pass in the first half, then hit RJ Harvey for a 27-yard score with 12:28 to play, tying the game at 15-15 with a pass for a two-point conversion to former Duck teammate Troy Franklin.

In the final minute Nix drove Denver 48 yards in six plays to set up a 34-yard field goal by Will Lutz to win with no time left.

In part Nix is borrowing a script Joey Harrington mastered in his three years starting at UO, playing erratic and crappy at the start of games before emerging as "Captain Comeback" to pull off a furious rally late in the game, an irresistible flair for backyard-style dramatics.

Oregon's other two pro quarterbacks were out of action. Dillon Gabriel and the 2-6 Browns were on a much-needed bye week. Marcus Mariota sat behind Jayden Daniels during the Commanders 38-14 loss in Seattle but in the closing moments Daniels suffered a gruesome injury on a tackle by Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas, his left elbow (nonthrowing) bent at a sickening angle.

Former Duck Tyler Shough completed 15-24 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown, one interception in his first pro start, a 34-10 road loss to the Rams. L.A. tight end Terrance Ferguson hauled in two passes for 54 yards, including a 36-yarder.