EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert did not practice Wednesday, two days after undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone in his non-throwing hand.
Coach Jim Harbaugh said the Chargers (8-4) are preparing as though Herbert will start against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday, though he repeatedly stressed a formal determination on Herbert's status would be made later in the week.
“Not gonna practice, but he hasn’t missed a beat,” Harbaugh said. “Already back today in meetings and out on the field for walkthrough.”
Herbert said he had a plate and screws placed in his left hand Monday afternoon. He kept his hand out of sight in the pocket of his sweatshirt during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
“The doctors were happy with how they performed, so I guess that's always a good thing,” Herbert said. “It's just the next couple days of seeing how the swelling handles and what goes on from there.”
Herbert, who was injured in the first quarter of a 31-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, is treating this week as if he will play. He has only missed four games because of injury in six seasons with the Chargers, having been sidelined for the last four games in 2023 because of a broken finger on his right hand.
“It's obviously a situation where you'll see how it goes throughout the week, and you'd love as much time as possible,” Herbert said. “I think having an extra day doesn't hurt, so see how it goes and adjust from there, I guess.”
Backup Trey Lance worked with the starting offense in practice. Harbaugh had previously said Lance, who was drafted third overall by the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, would see additional snaps in case he needed to play in situations where the Chargers might need to operate from under center, such as at the goal line or in short yardage.
"Better to be prepared and not have your opportunity come than have your opportunity come and not be prepared,” Harbaugh said.
The Chargers played exclusively out of the shotgun and pistol for the final three quarters after Herbert returned to the game with his hand in a hard cast and wearing a glove for additional protection.
“We’ll be preparing the same exact game plan for both quarterbacks,” Harbaugh said.
Herbert does expect to be able to try taking snaps from under center later this week. Herbert also believes he would be able to start even if he cannot practice, while admitting it would not be an ideal situation.
“It’s definitely difficult in this league, but if that’s the case and Coach (Harbaugh) feels like I’ll give the best shot for the team, you know that I trust his decision,” Herbert said.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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