PITTSBURGH — For the second time in six weeks, Justin Herbert is in a strolling boot.
And because the Los Angeles Chargers return house after greater than per 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 facet 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.Okay. 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 troublesome time strolling on it, shifting on it, pushing off of it,” Herbert stated after the sport.
It had been constructing to this second. Left sort out Rashawn Slater suffered a left pectoral damage late within the first half. He went to the locker room and received 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 overwhelmed to the skin by Steelers edge rusher Nick Herbig, who had a clear run at Herbert. Slater very clearly had no energy in his left arm. Herbig received house for the strip-sack. Herbert missed an open Ladd McConkey on the subsequent 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 stated Sunday, “and I couldn’t go anymore.”
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Ought to Herbert have even been within the sport?
The Chargers have confronted this query earlier than. One time may be defined as an aberration. Two occasions is a pattern.
Assume again to Week 3 of 2022. The Chargers have been blown out by the Jacksonville Jaguars at house. The earlier week, Herbert had fractured his rib cartilage in a highway loss to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. He fought by way of immense and noticeable ache to start out 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 sport; Bosa aggravated a hip problem 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 wish to give up on my group,” Herbert stated after that loss.
The Chargers couldn’t preserve him off the sphere in that sport, 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 influence him for the rest of this season.
Herbert provided a well-known sentiment after the sport: “My duty as a quarterback is to provide every thing I can to this group, to my teammates.”
collectively. pic.twitter.com/gU8pnaDPqD
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) September 22, 2024
Generally, giving every thing means realizing when to take per week off.
Who on this group goes to take the mandatory long-term, 10,000-foot view?
“I’ve been in that place earlier than,” stated 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 finished. Too little, too late.
It was too little, too late by the point the Chargers eliminated Justin Herbert from Sunday’s sport. (Barry Reeger / Imagn Photos)
“My plan was the primary signal of any limp, then he was popping out of the sport,” Harbaugh stated.
He added: “It wasn’t ever going to be his resolution to play right this moment or to remain in.”
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Harbaugh stated Herbert “was in a position to transfer round significantly better” through the Chargers’ Saturday walk-through, and that influenced his resolution to start out Herbert towards the Steelers.
Herbert stated he “actually type of examined” the ankle through the Saturday walk-through and “felt snug going on the market.”
However the actuality is he was not shifting properly in warmups. He took just a few beneath middle 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 fitting sideline, into the far facet of the sphere. Herbert accomplished the go, however he didn’t drive off his proper ankle, his plant leg. The ball solely received there due to Herbert’s prodigious arm power.
The indicators have been there.
Tony Romo talks about how Justin Herbert’s damage will influence the Chargers’ offense towards the Steelers right this moment pic.twitter.com/GYzAOIl55w
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 22, 2024
“Felt like he may defend himself,” Harbaugh stated. “He was able 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 sort out, a place he has not performed in a sport since 2021. They tried Jamaree Salyer at left sort out for one snap late within the first half. He was overwhelmed instantly by Steelers edge rusher Alex Highsmith. Pipkins changed Salyer at left sort out on the subsequent 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 sort out Joe Alt, who was injured on the ultimate offensive play of the sport, allowed a type of sacks to Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt.
“It was simply quite a lot of shifting items,” Pipkins stated. “We simply received 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 a bit bit extra time there to function,” Harbaugh stated.
The protection stored the Chargers within the sport. 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 area 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 stated. “The drives have been simply bleeding us rather a lot right this moment.”
The Chargers face the Chiefs subsequent week at SoFi Stadium.
They haven’t overwhelmed Kansas Metropolis at house since 2013. That sport was performed in San Diego.
The buildup ought to be centered round Herbert and the new-look Chargers making an attempt to make a press release towards Patrick Mahomes. In regards to the Chargers making an attempt to even the scales of what has been a lopsided rivalry for over a decade.
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As a substitute, it will likely be about Herbert’s ankle.
About an damage that was avoidable.
Herbert is all the time, all the time going to attempt to play, to push by way of no matter is ailing him. It’s his very nature.
The group’s job is to guard its biggest asset. To take a look at the state of affairs, do the cost-benefit evaluation and make the fitting resolution: One sport missed in Week 3 to doubtlessly have a more healthy Herbert for the remainder of an extended season.
The Chargers didn’t have anybody to make the fitting resolution within the waning moments of that Jaguars sport. And they don’t, apparently, have anybody to make that proper resolution in 2024, both.
Who’s going to guard Herbert from himself?
(High photograph: Brandon Sloter / Getty Photos)