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Justin Herbert is the real deal. Many had already bought into this heading into Week 5 -- given how well he's played after taking over for Tyrod Taylor, who lost the starting job after a team doctor punctured his lung by accident -- but there can be no remaining questions after seeing what he did for the Los Angeles Chargers against the New Orleans Saints. For not only was Herbert going against a Hall of Fame tandem in Sean Payton and Drew Brees, along with a defensive front led by Cam Jordan, he was doing so in New Orleans and under the sweltering lights of ESPN's "Monday Night Football."

His response to the pressure was to become the first rookie in NFL history to throw four touchdowns on MNF, and pushing a Super Bowl contender to the limit. The Saints found a way to claw back into the game and force overtime with 14 fourth quarter points, and an eventual game-winning field goal in the extra session, but the message had been sent by the Chargers: 

Herbert is the future.

"Young kid was out there taking a lot of hits today," Jordan said, via NOLA.com. "Our front seven got after him pretty well. He made a lot of great plays down the stretch. ... He may be a force to be reckoned with for years to come."

Herbert was sacked three times and hit 12 times on the night, as the Chargers struggled to keep the pressure off, and still threw for the aforementioned four touchdowns along with 264 passing yards and a 122.7 passer rating on the evening. He's now logged 1,195 passing yards in only four starts to go along with nine touchdowns to just three interceptions, but the Chargers can't seem to get the rookie sixth-overall pick his first win at the NFL level. 

There's still much to sort out in Los Angeles before it can truly turn the tide to begin stacking wins, but the most important position on the field isn't a problem they have to concern themselves with for a very, very long time. 

"He's a good young talent," Payton said after the game. "You don't feel like you're playing against a young player. He's someone that gets the ball out of his hands. I think he's got a promising future, and he's impressive to watch." 

That sentiment is echoed throughout the Saints locker room -- where Herbert's poise has everyone shrugging off his status as a rookie.

"He definitely doesn't play like a rookie," linebacker Demario Davis said. "He plays with a lot of confidence. He put his team in a lot of good situations -- took advantage of a lot of situations and made plays when he needed to. We knew it was going to be a challenge, and he made it tough on us." 

In the end, while it was the wily Brees who took home the win, Herbert took home Brees' respect. 

"I told him I was really impressed with him," Brees said, via KGW TV in Portland. "He's got a really bright future."