The Los Angeles Chargers will close out the regular season without their franchise quarterback on the field.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed Monday that Justin Herbert will not play in Sunday’s Week 18 matchup against the Denver Broncos, with the team opting instead to prioritize health as the Chargers prepare for the postseason.
With playoff positioning mostly settled and Herbert nursing a hand injury, Los Angeles is turning to its depth chart for the regular-season finale.
Who Will Be Chargers’ Starting QB in Week 18 With Justin Herbert Out?
With Herbert sitting out, the Chargers will start backup quarterback Trey Lance against Denver, according to ESPN. Jim Harbaugh announced that Lance will take the first-team reps and lead the offense on Sunday, while DJ Uiagelelei, who has spent the entire season on the practice squad, will be elevated to serve as the backup.
Herbert will not dress for the game at all. The Chargers’ quarterback has been playing through a fractured left hand since Week 13, an injury that has clearly limited him but hasn’t kept him off the field until now. Harbaugh said the decision to sit Herbert, and potentially other starters, was made collectively by the coaching staff, medical team and the organization as a whole.
“Winning and health, being healthy, those are our two objectives,” Harbaugh said. “And guys that we think, the doctors, the trainers, myself, organization, that have the most bruises and need that time the most, we’ve decided that’s the direction we’re going.”
Herbert’s toughness has been on display for much of the past month. Against the Houston Texans, he threw for 236 yards and a touchdown and led the team in rushing with 37 yards. However, he was in pain after landing awkwardly on his injured hand during the first of five sacks in that loss, frequently wincing as the game went on.
The injury itself dates back to a Week 13 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. In the first quarter, Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn hit Herbert on a scramble, with his helmet appearing to make direct contact with Herbert’s left hand.
Herbert stayed in the game despite favoring the hand and threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Quentin Johnston on the very next play. Shortly afterward, he went to the locker room, missed nine plays, and returned with a hard cast and glove applied. PFSN’s QBi gives him a score of 79.2 with a C+ score.
The timing of the move reflects the Chargers’ current situation. Los Angeles was eliminated from AFC West title contention after last weekend’s loss to the Texans. Sunday’s game still carries playoff seeding implications, as the Chargers could climb as high as the No. 5 seed with a win.
However, the Chargers are locked into opening the playoffs on the road regardless of the outcome.
