Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert got some good news Monday about the nagging ankle injury that forced him to exit in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Herbert was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain after x-rays came back negative, NFL Media reported. Herbert will reportedly “continue to be monitored” ahead of the Chargers’ Week 4 showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Herbert spent two-plus quarters trying to grit his teeth through the pain of the injury on Sunday after being limited in practice last week. For a while, it worked. He threw a first-half touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston and largely stayed out of trouble in the face of T.J. Watt and the rest of the retlentless Pittsburgh Steelers pass rush.
It all ended midway through the third quarter when Herbert dropped back to pass and Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts crashed into him for a sack. Herbert hobbled to the sideline one play later and watched backup Taylor Heinicke muster little the rest of the way as Pittsburgh surged to a 20-10 victory.
“I did everything I could to go back in there,” Herbert said afterward, his right foot in a protective boot. “I didn’t feel like I could move around or really push off of it.”
Herbert went to the medical tent to be evaluated then spent the rest of the game on the bench as the Chargers (2-1) saw their promising start under first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh take a hit.
“Not every game is going to be a fairytale ending,” Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh declined to speculate whether Herbert will be available against the Chiefs next week, saying only the team will take the same “wait and see” approach it used after Herbert initially injured the ankle on Sept. 15 in a win over the Carolina Panthers.
Herbert practiced little during Los Angeles’ extended stay in Charlotte and the Chargers listed him as questionable on Friday. Herbert walked onto the Acrisure Stadium turf about two hours before kickoff on Sunday in a white T-shirt and blue shorts and spent about 30 minutes going through a typical warm-up.
Harbaugh saw enough to feel comfortable giving Herbert the nod, with the caveat he would put Heinicke into the lineup at the first sign of trouble. For two quarters, Herbert mostly stayed out of it. He made quick decisions and moved the ball with relative ease, including a 27-yard dart to a wide-open Johnston that gave Los Angeles an early lead.
Herbert could feel, however, the soreness starting to ramp up. Then he felt his ankle twist underneath him as Roberts dragged him to the ground. Harbaugh then opted to pull his franchise quarterback rather than risk further damage on a day Herbert ended 12 of 18 for 125 yards.
“I knew Justin wasn’t going to take himself out,” Harbaugh said.
So Harbaugh did, a decision Herbert didn’t try to talk his coach out of, but only after exhausting all physical options.
“I pushed myself (and) I couldn’t do it anymore,” Herbert said. “And I had a tough time walking on it, moving on it, pushing off of it. And I knew that Taylor gave us a better shot to win.”
Heinicke completed both of his pass attempts for 24 yards, but was also sacked twice on Los Angeles’ final possession on a pair of plays in which the pressure came so fast he could do little in response.
Neither quarterback got much help from a running game that did little. J.K Dobbins was held to 44 yards on 15 carries on a day the Chargers ran for just 61 yards total, way fewer than they averaged during early victories over Las Vegas and Carolina.
Harbaugh made it a point to praise Herbert’s toughness and that of his team. Yet he’s also well-versed in how these things go when two teams essentially on equal footing meet.
“It’s razor-sharp,” he said. “It’s credit-card (width) difference, the margin. And I thought it was right there. It was back and forth. It was right where I thought it would be and we didn’t get it done at the end there. But we’ll come fighting back.”
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