Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert suffered a rib cartilage fracture in the fourth quarter of Los Angeles’ 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and is considered day-to-day, head coach Brandon Staley told reporters Friday.
The Chargers next take the field on Sept. 25 versus the Jaguars, which gives the QB a nine-day window for recovery.
Asked if he was optimistic Herbert would be available for Week 3, Staley responded, "I think we got good news in terms of what the CT scan expressed. So that's good news. I think playing quarterback, you don't want it to be to the bones. The fact that it's cartilage is a good sign.
"But again it’s just going to come down to comfort. It's such a rotational position. We're just gonna have to make sure that he's comfortable. We're not going to know more about how he feels until later on in the week.”
With just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter against Kansas City, Herbert got drilled in the ribs on a hit in the backfield, crashing to the field hard and immediately grabbing his midsection. The Chargers QB laid on the ground for a couple minutes as team doctors took a look at him, before walking to the sidelines unassisted. Herbert sat out the mandatory one play with backup QB Chase Daniel filling in. Herbert then retook the field, and though he was visibly wincing after every subsequent hit, he kept playing.
Herbert completed 33 of 48 passes for 334 yards, three touchdowns and one interception on the night, including a 7-yard toss to wide receiver Josh Palmer to bring the deficit to three points following the injury.
After the loss, Herbert did not speak to the media and underwent X-rays, which were negative. Staley said at the time that Herbert was "OK."
"You're not going to see a quarterback at any level of football play tougher and do more for their team and will their team to give them a chance more than him," Staley said Thursday night. "There's nobody that can do what he can do, nobody. He showed a lot of guts, he showed us what he shows every day, that we're never out of the fight, and he brought us back and gave us a chance."