Chargers QB Justin Herbert has fracture in rib cartilage, considered day-to-day
Justin Herbert appears to have avoided a major injury after fighting through significant pain at the end of their 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night.
The Los Angeles Chargers quarterback has a fracture in his rib cartilage, coach Brandon Staley confirmed on Friday afternoon. Herbert is now being listed as day-to-day.
It’s unclear how long Herbert will be out, but Staley said he could be back at practice next week. The Chargers will host the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday, which gives Herbert more than a week to recover.
"It's just going to come down to comfort," Staley said, via ESPN. "It's such a rotational position, just going to have to make sure that he's comfortable, and we're not going to know more about how he feels until later on in the week."
Herbert took a shot late in the fourth quarter on Thursday night in Kansas City after Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna hit him in the pocket. Herbert stayed down for several minutes holding his left side, and was replaced by backup Chase Daniel.
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Herbert returned to the game after just one play, but he was clearly still hurt. He even threw the ball away at one point instead of running for what would have been an easy first down due to the pain.
Herbert still led the Chargers to one final touchdown drive, and finished 33-of-48 for 334 passing yards with three touchdowns.
"It's football," Staley said, via the NFL Network's Bridget Condon. "You're going to have some moments where you're feeling like that ... There's nobody that cares about Justin more than I do, more than we do."
