The Los Angeles Chargers have handled a superb quantity of adversity up to now this season. With 5 of their eight losses coming by three factors or fewer, huge receivers Mike Williams and Josh Palmer discovering their method to injured reserve and accidents here-and-there inflicting absences of stars like Austin Ekeler and Joey Bosa, Los Angeles wanted to indicate some resiliency so as to keep within the playoff race this weekend. As a substitute, they had been dealt one more harm, this one to maybe their most vital participant.
Quarterback Justin Herbert was pressured to exit Sunday’s recreation when he apparently injured his finger. On the time, we didn’t know a lot as Herbert was dominated out and undressed from his pads however remained on the sideline to observe his backup Easton Stick. Now, it’s been reported that Herbert suffered a fracture to the index finger on his throwing hand, in line with Kris Rhim of ESPN.
Head coach Brandon Staley was the one to report the harm, although he didn’t have any info on a timetable for Herbert’s return to play. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Community, the plan is for Herbert to endure an MRI scan Monday on the injured finger so as to decide the severity of the harm. Extra particularly, Rapoport’s put up said that they are going to look to find out “how lengthy he’s out and if he’ll have the ability to return this season,” portray the potential consequence in a reasonably adverse gentle.
If the Chargers are pressured to play video games with out Herbert, Stick would seemingly be the starter transferring ahead. Since being drafted within the fifth spherical again in 2019, Stick had solely appeared in a single recreation earlier than Sunday. He performed two snaps in Week 6 of the 2020 season, finishing his lone tried move for 4 yards. Sunday, he noticed his first prolonged motion. In simply over a half of play, Stick accomplished 13-of-24 move makes an attempt for 179 yards. He did lead the Chargers down the sphere on a landing drive late within the recreation by finishing two large passes to rookie huge receiver Quentin Johnston earlier than letting Ekeler punch it in from three yards out.
Even when Herbert solely requires a brief restoration interval, the Chargers face a brief week with their subsequent recreation approaching Thursday evening in Las Vegas. If Stick earns his first begin within the upcoming week, he’ll should be backed up by apply squad quarterback Max Duggan, the rookie teammate of rookie huge receivers Johnston and Derius Davis. Duggan would must be known as up as an ordinary gameday elevation or signed to the lively roster so as to be on the lively roster this week.
There’s one other query that begs consideration. How a lot time does Herbert must be out – and what number of video games do the Chargers have to lose – to close him down for the season. Los Angeles simply dedicated to making Herbert the highest-paid quarterback within the NFL (outdone shortly thereafter by Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow‘s deal), locking him down with a five-year extension. If the playoffs begin to seem out of attain, it might be in one of the best curiosity of Herbert within the workforce to carry him out for the remainder of the 12 months. Let him recuperate with little-to-no pressure and don’t threat doing any form of everlasting injury to your large funding.
The Chargers don’t should make that decision simply but. They are going to have a look at the outcomes of his scans Monday and have a significantly better concept of what the short-term future appears like. Whereas he might have extra time than three days and will miss Thursday, there’s nonetheless an opportunity Herbert recovers simply and is again for the previous few weeks of the season. Nonetheless, with the pessimism displayed in Rapoport’s report and the season starting to wind down, it’s not out of the realm of chance to assume that we’ve seen the final of Herbert this 12 months.
