Chargers QB Justin Herbert learning how to play through rib injury
COSTA MESA — Justin Herbert didn’t know what to expect in the days and hours leading to the Chargers’ game Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He wasn’t sure what might cause him pain in his fractured rib cartilage or, more to the point, what might cause more pain than he could bear.
Herbert knows more about his injury now, having played once with it and avoided anything resembling a setback in the days that have followed Sunday’s loss. He certainly appeared to be at ease Friday during the portion of practice reporters were allowed to watch.
His throwing motion was fluid and his passes were on target.
“I hope there’s always progress,” Herbert said after his final tune-up before the Chargers face the Houston Texans on Sunday. “It’s been a few weeks since (the injury). I’ve done my best to get into recovery, treatment, and do everything I can to feel my best. Time is the best help.”
It’s been a learning experience unlike any other Herbert has faced during his three seasons in the NFL.
“That’s the tough part,” he said. “Having to play with an injury like that, you have to go through it and learn about it. I had never experienced anything like that during a game and having to play through that and having to figure it out. Obviously, it was a tough loss for us. (But) it was a good learning moment.”
If his confidence wavered in the days after he was injured on a fourth-quarter pass play in the Chargers’ loss Sept. 15 to the Kansas City Chiefs, it returned to its usual lofty stature this week. Mostly, it just took time to realize what was still possible despite a potentially debilitating injury.
“I don’t know if there was a moment when it really just clicked,” he said. “The more reps I get throwing with it, the better I feel. This week was good to throw a little bit more. Progress was made. It still has to heal. … I think it’s just one of those things you have to kind of deal with and push through.”
Herbert completed 25 of 45 passes for 297 yards with one touchdown, one interception and one fumble on a sack Sunday against Jacksonville. The opportunistic Jaguars turned the two turnovers into 10 points in an eventual 38-10 victory over the Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
The Chargers struggled to move the ball at times against Jacksonville, particularly in the first quarter. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi blamed himself for starting the game with conservative play-calling, concerned Herbert wouldn’t be sound enough to handle the usual intensity.
Herbert’s participation won’t be a game-time decision Sunday, unlike last week. Lombardi and Chargers coach Brandon Staley know what Herbert can do despite his injury and the three of them won’t be feeling their way, as they were in the early going against Jacksonville.
“I probably made it a little murkier than it needed to be,” Lombardi said. “I think he was truly a game-time decision. Pregame, he was like, ‘Look, I am good. Don’t worry about it.’ I probably was a little cautious at first, wanting to see how it was going. I think he was fine. I should have listened and internalized what he was saying and how he was feeling a little bit more.”
INJURY UPDATES
Wide receiver Keenan Allen won’t play Sunday against the Texans because of a nagging hamstring injury sustained in the Chargers’ season-opening victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, Staley said. …
Center Corey Linsley (knee) and tight end Donald Parham Jr. were listed as questionable for Sunday’s game, although Staley said Parham would sit out for the fourth consecutive game. …
Herbert, safety J.C. Jackson (ankle) and defensive lineman Austin Johnson (shoulder) were removed from the injury report. …
Staley said edge rusher Joey Bosa underwent successful groin surgery this week in Philadelphia and the Chargers expect him back on the field before the end of the season.