PITTSBURGH — For the second time in six weeks, Justin Herbert is in a strolling boot.
And because the Los Angeles Chargers return dwelling after greater than every week on the highway, one thing should be requested of this group: Who’s going to guard Herbert from himself?
Herbert aggravated his proper excessive ankle sprain within the third quarter of Sunday’s 20-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The ultimate blow was a sack Herbert took on the second drive of the second half. Herbert dropped again off play motion. Linebacker Elandon Roberts surged off Herbert’s proper aspect on a free rush. Roberts wrapped up Herbert initially. Defensive lineman Cameron Heyward completed the sack from the left. Herbert’s already injured proper ankle was caught awkwardly within the mayhem.
Herbert may barely transfer. He managed to stay a handoff into J.Ok. Dobbins’ stomach on the following second down. And that was the top of his day. Herbert was pulled for Taylor Heinicke and didn’t return.
Justin Herbert is strolling off and Taylor Heinicke has stepped in pic.twitter.com/maJClHgIo8
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 22, 2024
“I had a tricky time strolling on it, transferring on it, pushing off of it,” Herbert mentioned after the sport.
It had been constructing to this second. Left deal with Rashawn Slater suffered a left pectoral damage late within the first half. He went to the locker room and acquired fitted with a brace to attempt to make a return. Slater was on the market for the primary drive of the second half. On his second snap, he was crushed to the surface by Steelers edge rusher Nick Herbig, who had a clear run at Herbert. Slater very clearly had no energy in his left arm. Herbig acquired dwelling for the strip-sack. Herbert missed an open Ladd McConkey on the following play.
Slater was pulled after that collection.
Herbert admitted after the sport that “a pair hits” led to the ankle aggravation. He was additionally in a strolling boot for many of coaching camp due to a plantar fascia damage in his proper foot.
“I pushed myself,” Herbert mentioned Sunday, “and I couldn’t go anymore.”
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Ought to Herbert have even been within the recreation?
The Chargers have confronted this query earlier than. One time could be defined as an aberration. Two occasions is a pattern.
Suppose again to Week 3 of 2022. The Chargers have been blown out by the Jacksonville Jaguars at dwelling. The earlier week, Herbert had fractured his rib cartilage in a highway loss to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. He fought by immense and noticeable ache to begin and play towards the Jags.
The sport was a catastrophe. Slater and edge rusher Joey Bosa each sustained long-term accidents. (By coincidence, each Slater and Bosa have been injured in Sunday’s recreation; Bosa aggravated a hip subject on the opening play of the sport). With 4:54 remaining within the fourth quarter, the Jaguars led 38-10. It was over. And but Herbert returned for the ultimate drive of the sport. He took a number of pointless hits.
“I simply didn’t need to give up on my staff,” Herbert mentioned after that loss.
The Chargers couldn’t preserve him off the sphere in that recreation, even when it was out of attain.
Virtually two years later to the day, the Chargers have a brand new coach in Jim Harbaugh. Herbert is a $262.5 million franchise quarterback. Nonetheless, Herbert’s otherworldly toughness is main him into harmful positions.
Towards the Jaguars in 2022, Herbert prevented disaster.
On Sunday, he didn’t.
Now solely an MRI can reveal how a lot time he’s going to overlook and the way a lot this worsened damage will affect him for the rest of this season.
Herbert provided a well-known sentiment after the sport: “My duty as a quarterback is to present all the pieces I can to this staff, to my teammates.”
collectively. pic.twitter.com/gU8pnaDPqD
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) September 22, 2024
Generally, giving all the pieces means realizing when to take every week off.
Who on this group goes to take the required long-term, 10,000-foot view?
“I’ve been in that place earlier than,” mentioned Harbaugh, who performed 14 seasons as an NFL quarterback. “With warriors, you give them the shot. And that’s what I needed to do.”
Harbaugh did take away Herbert from the sport. At that time, although, Herbert couldn’t stroll. The injury had been completed. Too little, too late.
It was too little, too late by the point the Chargers eliminated Justin Herbert from Sunday’s recreation. (Barry Reeger / Imagn Pictures)
“My plan was the primary signal of any limp, then he was popping out of the sport,” Harbaugh mentioned.
He added: “It wasn’t ever going to be his choice to play at the moment or to remain in.”
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Harbaugh mentioned Herbert “was in a position to transfer round significantly better” throughout the Chargers’ Saturday walk-through, and that influenced his choice to begin Herbert towards the Steelers.
Herbert mentioned he “actually sort of examined” the ankle throughout the Saturday walk-through and “felt comfy going on the market.”
However the actuality is he was not transferring effectively in warmups. He took a number of below heart snaps and was struggling to maneuver laterally whereas evading quarterbacks coach Shane Day. On a throw early within the second, he hit Quentin Johnston on a comeback path to the appropriate sideline, into the far aspect of the sphere. Herbert accomplished the go, however he didn’t drive off his proper ankle, his plant leg. The ball solely acquired there due to Herbert’s prodigious arm energy.
The indicators have been there.
Tony Romo talks about how Justin Herbert’s damage will affect the Chargers’ offense towards the Steelers at the moment pic.twitter.com/GYzAOIl55w
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 22, 2024
“Felt like he may defend himself,” Harbaugh mentioned. “He was ready to have the ability to successfully play the place.”
Herbert was efficient within the first half. He accomplished 12 of 16 passes for 125 yards and a landing. However as soon as Slater injured his pec, the safety unraveled. The Chargers moved Trey Pipkins III from proper guard to left deal with, a place he has not performed in a recreation since 2021. They tried Jamaree Salyer at left deal with for one snap late within the first half. He was crushed instantly by Steelers edge rusher Alex Highsmith. Pipkins changed Salyer at left deal with on the following play, and Salyer moved inside to proper guard. Harbaugh caught with that configuration up entrance for the second half after Slater left the sport.
The Chargers gave up three sacks on their remaining two drives after Heinicke changed Herbert. Rookie proper deal with Joe Alt, who was injured on the ultimate offensive play of the sport, allowed a kind of sacks to Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt.
“It was simply numerous transferring items,” Pipkins mentioned. “We simply acquired to have the ability to roll with the punches and do what we have to do regardless of the circumstances are.”
Heinicke accomplished two passes for twenty-four yards.
“I want we have been giving him somewhat bit extra time there to function,” Harbaugh mentioned.
The protection saved the Chargers within the recreation. However the unit was on the sphere for greater than 20 minutes within the second half. The dam ultimately broke on a 55-yard landing to Calvin Austin III that put the Steelers forward by 10.
Late within the third quarter, after Herbert left the sport, the Chargers have been referred to as for 3 penalties on a Steelers go-ahead discipline aim drive. Two of them have been private fouls on third downs — an pointless roughness on security Derwin James Jr. and a roughing the passer on Khalil Mack.
“We simply didn’t make sufficient performs on protection,” James mentioned. “The drives have been simply bleeding us quite a bit at the moment.”
The Chargers face the Chiefs subsequent week at SoFi Stadium.
They haven’t crushed Kansas Metropolis at dwelling since 2013. That recreation was performed in San Diego.
The buildup must be centered round Herbert and the new-look Chargers attempting to make a press release towards Patrick Mahomes. Concerning the Chargers attempting to even the scales of what has been a lopsided rivalry for over a decade.
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As an alternative, it will likely be about Herbert’s ankle.
About an damage that was avoidable.
Herbert is at all times, at all times going to attempt to play, to push by no matter is ailing him. It’s his very nature.
The group’s job is to guard its best asset. To take a look at the scenario, do the cost-benefit evaluation and make the appropriate choice: One recreation missed in Week 3 to probably have a more healthy Herbert for the remainder of an extended season.
The Chargers didn’t have anybody to make the appropriate choice within the waning moments of that Jaguars recreation. And they don’t, apparently, have anybody to make that proper choice in 2024, both.
Who’s going to guard Herbert from himself?
(Prime picture: Brandon Sloter / Getty Pictures)
