Chargers fans may have been worried about the status of Justin Herbert’s injury over the past couple of weeks. Now, they can expect to receive some level of clarity.
While Herbert will remain someone to look out for on the injury report for the rest of the Chargers’ season, the way he was able to gut out a victory for the Chargers against the Eagles should give fans hope that he feels a bit more closer to normal.
According to Daniel Popper, Herbert himself has said that “everything was clean for the most part” in terms of the hand. He had undergone surgery the week before, which saw him have a screw inserted into the wrist to stabilize the injury. The day after the game, Herbert went through some X-rays as an extra precaution.
Herbert Pushes Through Injury as Chargers Seek Stability Up Front
While fans may be concerned what with words such as surgery and X-rays being thrown around, the Chargers have only said Herbert has been limited on this week’s injury report. The ultimate hope is that Herbert could feel much better by the Week 15 game against the Chiefs, which could see the Chargers eliminate their AFC west rivals from the playoff picture and boost their own playoff hopes in the process.
Another concern for Herbert and the Chargers is the play of the O-line. It’s one thing to battle through an injury with a solid O-line to protect you. It’s quite another when your O-line grades as one of the worst in the league.
In fact, in their Week 14 win, the Chargers’ O-line graded out as the worst in terms of pass block win rate and second to last in run blocking. Only Jamaree Salyer and Bradley Bozeman graded out in the top 20 for PBWR. Add in the fact that Herbert had to be one of the team’s biggest rushing threats and that doesn’t spell for much success should Herbert’s injury linger.
Herbert still powered through it all, throwing for 139 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 66 yards. But snaps under center have arisen as another concern. The Chargers have discussed using Trey Lance in those situations, especially in and around the goal line to relieve Herbert of that burden. It will be something closely monitored for Week 15.
Week 15 Looms Large as Chargers Aim to Challenge the Chiefs’ AFC West Stronghold
This is the Chargers’ ultimate chance to knock the Chiefs down a peg. The AFC West has been dominated by Kansas City for the past decade and now that the balance has shifted, the Chargers feel prepared to take them down while also boosting their own chances at a playoff spot.
While Herbert’s injury is a bit of a concern, it all rests on how the team supports him. If the O-line play like the mess that they were in Week 14, chances are the Chargers playoff windows will fade as fast as Herbert could potentially heal. Still, two weeks removed form surgery, Herbert is prepaed to do whatever it takes top get his team to the promised land.
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