If you write a book on the NFL, the Los Angeles Chargers would be the chapter with themes of despair, unfortunate events, and untimely injuries. As it pertains to this week, the Chargers superstar quarterback Justin Herbert is officially listed as questionable to play on Sunday against the reigning champions, Kansas City Chiefs.
Justin Herbert Questionable For Week 4 – Who Will Step Up?
Justin Herbert first suffered this injury in Week 2 against the lowly Carolina Panthers. Herbert was extended a play and landed wrong. His injury was later diagnosed as a “high ankle sprain.” This injury can linger for months, but the average person would need a recovery time of up to eight weeks. Luckily for the Chargers, Herbert is far from a normal person, he is an elite athlete with genetics that even coach Jim Harbaugh would dream of.
“There’s not one gene in his body I wouldn’t like immediately trade.” – Jim Harbaugh on Justin Herbert.
Harbaugh said he wants to be best friends with Herbert and is now wearing the same tennis shoes Harbaugh wears. pic.twitter.com/zLDjLicp6x
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) September 13, 2024
Herbert endured plenty of pain and suited up the next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Likely medicated and braced, the ankle didn’t seem much of a problem in the first half of Week 3. After what seemed like an adrenaline-reduced start to the second half, Herbert got hit awkwardly and was officially ruled out for the rest of the game. He was later seen in a walking boot, and diagnosed with a re-aggravation of his injury.
Here’s Justin Herbert in the walking boot. He said he thinks the injury is a reaggravation of the high ankle sprain and nothing more serious. He’s hoping to play against KC pic.twitter.com/oMQMyQvmOu
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) September 22, 2024
Now going into Week 4 against an elite NFL team, the former Offensive Rookie of the Year must decide on Sunday if he can tough it out once again. Herbert registered as “limited” in all three practices this week, and has openly said he feels better than he did last week. How is that possible? I do not know. As mentioned before, he really is built different.
full #KCvsLAC game status pic.twitter.com/l6CeiX1UWN
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) September 27, 2024
Who Would Step Up if Herbert Can’t Go?
The Fan-Preferred Starter: A Former Playoff Starting Veteran
If Justin Herbert were not to play on Sunday, Taylor Heinicke is likely to step into the starting job. He was the one to lead the team once Herbert was officially ruled out. The Chargers traded for the former starting playoff quarterback on August 28th, for a conditional sixth or seventh-round selection. Heinicke has started for both the Falcons and more notably, the Washington Commanders. He is known for his ability to create plays with his agility and extend for himself in the pocket. This can cause very bad sacks, but also create impressive throws outside the pocket. The style of football that can give a team on its backup quarterback a chance to win football games.
Heinicke has started plenty of games in his career, most recently having four starts last year in Atlanta. A 5-4 touchdown to interception ratio may not be the best, but an experienced and competitive leader starting a couple of games for the Chargers could be a lot worse of a situation. The Chargers saw the former Falcon play a few drives last week against the Steelers following Herbert’s injury. The coaching staff saw both the good and bad in his game. Expect a more Heinicke-emphasized game plan if he were to start.
Main Photo: Barry Reeger – USA Today Sports
