In a season plagued by injuries at every position, the Los Angeles Chargers saw their star QB Justin Herbert fall victim to the injury bug this past Sunday. The former Pro-Bowler underwent surgery earlier today to address a broken bone in his non-throwing hand, an injury that he suffered in the Chargers’ 31-14 win over the Raiders yesterday.
Timeline to Return Post Surgery
During today’s press conference, Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh emphasized that the procedure Herbert underwent was minor. Still, he was unsure if he would miss any of the remaining games this season. “I know that he’s as tough as they come. He came back in after sustaining the injury, taped it up, put a glove on it, and still played a great game,” said Harbaugh.
The team’s next game is not until next Monday night, when they’ll face off against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles at home. The Chargers currently list the player as day-to-day on their injury report, and he’s confident he’ll be starting next Monday. “I’m treating it as if I’m playing on Monday,” the player said. “I think they’re very hopeful for that, and so I think that’s just something that we’ll see tomorrow and get a feel for.”
What A Potential Absence Could Mean for the Chargers’ Playoff Hopes
Looking at the playoff picture for Los Angeles, the Chargers are currently sitting fairly comfortably as the 5th seed in the AFC playoff bracket with an 8-4 record. The Chargers also have a 63% chance of making the playoffs, on top of that. If Herbert is unable to go following Monday, the Chargers will have to turn to backup QB Trey Lance to lead the offense in Herbert’s absence.
Coach Harbaugh also said at the press conference that Lance would get ample first-team reps in practice this week. Harbaugh says the team will evaluate him in practice Thursday through Saturday before determining whether he will be cleared for the following Monday.
