Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert underwent surgery Monday to stabilize a fracture in his non-throwing hand and his status for Monday night’s game against Philadelphia will be determined later in the week, the team announced.
Herbert was injured in the first quarter of Sunday’s win over Las Vegas when the back of his left hand apparently collided with Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn’s helmet. The quarterback threw a touchdown after the collision in question.
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Sam Farmer explains what Justin Herbert’s hand injury means after their win over the Raiders on Sunday.
After that, he briefly left the game and had a cast put on him in the locker room. He quickly returned to the game and ended up leading three more touchdowns, operating exclusively out of the shotgun formation because taking snaps under center is extremely difficult with a cast.
Coach Jim Harbaugh cited Herbert’s toughness and ability to continue throwing accurate passes after the injury.
“He’s almost supernatural about it,” the coach said. “There’s enormous respect for that.”
The Chargers said Herbert’s return to play was considered “day to day,” although the quarterback said after the game that the only way he would not play was if the team doctor told him it would be “very unwise” to do so.
One issue that could be of concern is passing the football, especially on runs to the right side, when a quarterback typically uses his left hand.
“I think ball security is paramount,” Herbert said after the game. “I thought I did a pretty good job today in the pocket. Just get involved with the running backs. So it’s just things to work on.”
