LOS ANGELES — Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert underwent surgery on his fractured left hand Monday in Los Angeles, the team said.
Herbert is considered day-to-day, according to the Chargers, who added that his status for their Week 14 home game against the Philadelphia Eagles will be determined later this week.
Herbert was hurt in Sunday’s win over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders and said afterward he was preparing like he’d be playing against Philadelphia.
The injury occurred in the first quarter, when Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn hit Herbert on a scramble. Chinn’s helmet appeared to connect directly with Herbert’s left hand. Herbert stayed in the game, clearly favoring the hand, and threw a touchdown to wide receiver Quentin Johnston on the next play. The signal-caller then went to the locker room with athletic trainers and missed nine plays while a hard cast and glove were applied to his left hand.
Herbert said the most challenging part of continuing to compete was holding on to the football; because of that, the Chargers played the remainder of the game out of the shotgun and pistol formations.
Coach Jim Harbaugh said the Chargers will prepare backup quarterback Trey Lance this week for under-center goal-line scenarios, whenever necessary. Typically, Herbert takes all of the team’s first-team reps, but Harbaugh said Lance will get time with the starters in those specific packages.
“That’ll be a point of emphasis this week,” Harbaugh said Monday.
Harbaugh also marveled at Herbert’s ability to play through the injury.
“There’s never any grimace or flinch,” Harbaugh said. “It’s pretty amazing.”
Two seasons ago, Herbert fractured the middle finger on his left hand also against the Raiders. The Chargers primarily played out of the shotgun to manage that injury.
“I think in terms of experience, I’ve gone through similar things, and so I think it’ll be helpful,” he said. “But at the end of the day, just got to go out there and make sure that everything is good, you’re comfortable.”
As the Chargers aim to make the postseason for the second consecutive campaign, Herbert’s injury comes at a particularly critical time. Four of the their final five opponents were in the playoffs last season, and each of the five — the Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and Denver Broncos — are competing for playoff spots.
