Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert underwent a surgical procedure Monday to stabilize a fracture in his non-throwing hand and his status for next Monday night’s game against Philadelphia will be determined later in the week, the team announced.
Herbert sustained the injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s victory over Las Vegas when the back of his left hand apparently collided with the helmet of Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn. The quarterback threw a touchdown pass the play after the collision in question.
After that, he left the game briefly and had a cast applied in the locker room. He soon returned to the game and wound up leading three more touchdown drives, 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 keep throwing accurate passes after the injury.
“He’s almost otherworldly when it comes to that,” the coach said. “There’s huge respect for that.”
The Chargers said Herbert’s return to play is considered “day to day,” although the quarterback said after the game that the only way he wouldn’t play is if the team doctor told him it would be “very unwise” to do so.
One issue that could be a concern is handing off the football, especially on runs to the right side when a quarterback typically would be using his left hand.
“I think ball security is paramount,” Herbert said after the game. “I think I did a good enough job of that today in the pocket. Just get involved with the running backs. So it’s just stuff to work on.”
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