Justin Herbert has been shut down for the remainder of the season. The Los Angeles Chargers quarterback suffered yet another finger injury, this one being a fractured index finger on his throwing hand. The injury came during another loss, this time to the Denver Broncos as they fell to 5-8. With surgery on the horizon for Herbert, the coaching staff felt that it would be best to just keep his longevity in mind rather than force him back too early.
Maybe if the Chargers found themselves in playoff position this would be a different story, but they’re on the outside looking in and even winning out wouldn’t guarantee them a spot. In response to placing Herbert on season-ending injured reserve, the team brought back wide receiver Josh Palmer from the IR and signed quarterback Max Duggan to their roster. Don’t get too excited to see Duggan though, as Easton Stick is likely to get the start after filling in for Herbert this weekend when he got hurt.
The Chargers were supposed to be a top-tier team in the league again in 2023. They were coming off a horrible choke in the playoffs against the Jacksonville Jaguars the previous season and changed play callers by nabbing Kellen Moore from the Dallas Cowboys. On top of that, Herbert was signed to a $262.5 million contract extension.
This group was supposed to be great, but they lost their first two games. They got back to 4-4, but then continued to lose until now, where they remain at 5-8. Injuries have ravished the team once again with Mike Williams suffering a season ending ACL injury in September, and other notable members missing time.
Justin Herbert Still Had A Good Season
It almost feels like a guarantee that the Chargers will fire head coach Brandon Staley at some point in the future. Most likely at the end of their season. However, with all of the attention going onto the coaching staff’s inability to put their players in a position to win games, Herbert still had a good season. The star quarterback threw for 3,134 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes to seven interceptions. The only downside was that he had a career low in completion percentage, yet it was still fairly high at 65.1 percent. This goes to show how we’ve gotten used to Herbert’s talent.
What’s fairly shocking is that these next couple of games that Herbert will miss, will be the first few that he’s missed in his four-year career. He’s suffered injuries in the past yet hasn’t allowed himself to sit out for a game. Just a few weeks ago, he injured a different finger and has been playing with a large wrap on it to protect it. This guy doesn’t miss games, and it goes to show you how much the Chargers don’t believe in their chances to make the playoffs by shutting him down and focusing on 2024.
