EL SEGUNDO — Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert underwent surgery on his fractured left hand and his status will be determined on a day-to-day basis this week, the team said on Monday. The procedure was performed in order to stabilize his non-throwing hand, which was hurt during Sunday’s victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Chargers said in a statement that Herbert’s availability for next Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles at SoFi Stadium will be determined later this week. The Chargers will practice Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in preparation for their Week 14 showdown.
If he can’t play against the Eagles, then backup Trey Lance will get his first start with the Chargers after playing a backup’s role through the season’s first 13 weeks. Lance filled in for Herbert while Herbert was sidelined briefly during the first half of Sunday’s 31-14 victory over Las Vegas.
Herbert said Sunday he couldn’t recall precisely how he was injured, although TV replays indicated he might have fractured his hand on the helmet of Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn, who tackled him on a scramble in the first quarter. One play later, Herbert threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston.
Herbert played the final three quarters with a hard cast protected by a white glove on his injured hand and completed 15 of 20 passes for 151 yards. After returning to the game in the second quarter, he threw a second TD pass, a 7-yard strike to Ladd McConkey, and also was intercepted.
“Sensational,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday of Herbert’s play.
Harbaugh also praised Herbert’s willingness to play, essentially, one handed.
“Just an elite level in terms of pain threshold,” Harbaugh said. “It’s incredible. It’s just respect (for Herbert). Admiration. He’s in another world when it comes to that (playing with pain). Everybody who has played the game or who hasn’t played the game has that level of respect. The high pain threshold, the strength of 10 men, however you want to say it, but it’s real respect.”
WHAT ABOUT TREY?
Because the Chargers didn’t want Herbert taking direct snaps under center, they shifted him into plays strictly from the shotgun or the pistol for the final three quarters on Sunday. If necessary, they could have swapped Lance for Herbert in a goal-line situation requiring a quarterback sneak.
In fact, Lance entered the game for the final two kneel-downs to run out the clock, saving Herbert from the pressure of a direct snap and avoiding any possibility of making his hand worse with a couple of meaningless plays in the closing seconds of what became a lopsided result.
Harbaugh said Monday he believed Lance played well in an eight-snap relief appearance while Herbert was in the locker room being examined. Lance completed his only pass for a 9-yard gain and a first down to wide receiver Tre’ Harris on a second-and-10 play from the Chargers’ own 7.
“Calm, cool, collected,” Harbaugh said of Lance’s play. “He came in and held down the fort and really did a good job coming off of our own goal line. I thought he did really good moving us down the field. All of a sudden, it was third-and-5 and Justin ran in and converted. Never looked back.”
Indeed, on his first play back on the field, Herbert fired a pass to wide receiver Keenan Allen for a 10-yard gain and a first down on a third-and-5 play from the Chargers’ 46. Herbert drove the Chargers to the Raiders’ 2, but a pass intended for McConkey was intercepted at the goal line.
ANOTHER OPTION
Harbaugh also said shifting tight end Tyler Conklin to quarterback was and is another option in short-yardage situations like the one the Chargers faced on a fourth-and-1 situation at the Raiders’ 18 in the second quarter. The Raiders stopped running back Kimani Vidal for no gain.
It didn’t take long for Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman to second-guess themselves. In hindsight, Harbaugh said Monday “we were kicking ourselves right after that (play). There were a couple of better options. We could have been better. No excuses.”
For the record, Conklin has one rushing attempt this season for a 2-yard gain on a direct snap from center, a third down conversion that set up Herbert’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Johnston in the Chargers’ season-opening victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
WHAT COMES NEXT
The Chargers (8-4) play host to the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles (8-4) on “Monday Night Football” at SoFi Stadium. It’s the first of a five-game sprint to the regular-season finish line for the Chargers, with each game against a team that is either competing for a playoff spot or better seeding.