The Los Angeles Chargers’ playoff run hit a speed bump Wednesday when quarterback Justin Herbert missed practice because of the sprained left ankle he suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
In addition, Herbert told reporters that the fifth-year starter is also dealing with a contusion on his left leg and some swelling in his left knee.
Herbert said he suffered the ankle sprain while wrestling in the first half of Sunday’s loss but continued to play through the injury. Television cameras showed him walking grimly to the sideline after the game.
Asked about Thursday’s practice, Herbert said he is taking it “day by day.”
“It was hard to play with,” he said. “It was one of those things where we limited some runs out of the pocket. I didn’t feel great, but it was one of those things to play through.”
Herbert’s left leg was later bruised after taking a hard hit from linebacker Nick Bolton in the second quarter. He missed just one play, completing 21 of 30 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) reacts after suffering an injury in the first half on Sunday
The Los Angeles Chargers’ playoff push hit a speed bump on Wednesday when quarterback Justin Herbert missed practice due to the sprained left ankle he suffered in Sunday’s loss
“The bruise, I think that’s something that can be easily repaired. I do everything I can with the ankle,” Herbert said. “If I felt like I could have practiced at 100 percent and made sure everyone was doing reps at full speed, I would have done that. I didn’t think I could do that today, so the coaches and I were on the same page.”
Herbert suffered a major right ankle sprain during the third quarter of a 26-3 win at Carolina on September 15. That limited his mobility and some of the play-calling in losses to Pittsburgh and Kansas City in the next two games.
However, Herbert will not be in walking boots this time, which was the case earlier this season when the injury occurred. The fifth-year quarterback also said his pain tolerance with his ankle injury is more manageable than the previous injury.
‘I would like to see him get treatment and be off his feet. He will do everything he can to play on Sunday,” coach Jim Harbaugh said.
The Chargers have lost two of their last three, but are the sixth seed in the AFC with an 8-5 record. After facing NFC South-leading Tampa Bay on Sunday, Los Angeles will host Denver in a Thursday night game on December 19 as both teams battle for a spot in the playoffs.
It is the second time in three seasons that Herbert has dealt with an injury after a game at Kansas City. In 2022, he broke rib cartilage after taking a hard hit from Chiefs defensive lineman Michael Danna in the fourth quarter.
Herbert missed two weeks of training camp due to an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot. He also had a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder toward the end of the 2022 season and two broken fingers last year, including one on his throwing hand, causing him to miss the final four games.
Herbert is the only player along with Tom Brady not to throw an interception in 11 consecutive games with a minimum of 15 attempts in each game. Brady accomplished the feat with New England in 2010.
The last time Herbert was picked off was midway through the first quarter, on September 15, by Carolina’s Jaycee Horn. Herbert has also completed 335 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, the fifth-longest streak in league history.