The Los Angeles Chargers suffered their first loss of the season Sunday, and it was a painful and unexpected one. The Bolts succumbed to a previously winless but upset-minded New York Giants team at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, 21-18.
But the real story was the matchup of quarterbacks, pitting the Chargers’ six-year veteran and MVP candidate Justin Herbert against Giants rookie Jaxson Dart making his NFL debut.
Both were first-round draft picks by their respective teams. Herbert went sixth overall out of Oregon in 2020. Dart was picked 25th out of Ole Miss this year.
And in the game, it seemed possible that Herbert was affected by a viral online post that was attributed to Dart, but turned out to be a hoax, because the Chargers’ veteran found himself outplayed by the Giants’ debutante from the opening drive.
The Saturday post — which actually came from an account known for such bogus online escapades called NFL Drop — consisted of a smiling photo of a bespectacled Beer looking on from the sidelines of an unidentified football stadium with the caption, “Gameday tomorrow.” The post was digitally manipulated to appear as if it was posted to Dart’s Instagram account.
Debutate Dart Outplays Veteran Herbert
Whether the post, despite being exposed as a phony, got into Herbert’s head can never be known, unless Herbert decides to talk about it — which he has not. In fact, Herbert has not even spoken publicly to confirm that he is in a relationship with the “Yes, Baby” singer.
But after three solid performances to open the season, including the season opener in which he outplayed Kansas City Chief’s future Hall of Famer Patrick Mahomes, Herbert was not completely himself on Sunday, completing just 23 of 41 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown. But Herbert also threw two interceptions.
Dart led the Giants to a touchdown on his first drive, running the ball into the end zone himself from the 15-yard-line, wasting no time recording his first NFL TD. The 22-year-old completed 13 of 20, with a touchdown pass but zero interceptions.
Why Post the Hoax?
So why would the hoaxers pick Dart as their target for the scam, creating a phony post to look as if the rookie was arrogant enough to troll Herbert about his personal life?
Matthew Graham, an Athlete Lifestyle writer for SI.com, appears to have found the answer to that head-scratching question.
“The former Ole Miss standout Dart, 22, was asked on a red carpet who his celebrity crush was. The answer was the 26-year-old pop star who just released her smash hit single, ‘Yes Baby,’” Graham wrote.
Beer Not in Attendance at Game
Herbert and Beer were seen together at least twice in August, leading to rumors that the pair were dating. Those rumors appeared to be confirmed when the couple appeared hand-in-hand on an apparent date, at the celebrity-friendly eatery Delilah at 7969 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California.
But unlike Taylor Swift who has turned up at most of her boyfriend (now fiancé) Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs game, at least the home games, Beer has been seen at SoFi Stadium only once, in Week Three at the Chargers’ home opener against the Denver Broncos.
Of course, that one is the only game the Chargers have played at SoFi this season, so the pop star may yet be in attendance for the next home game, on October 5 against the Washington Commanders.
