EL SEGUNDO, Calif — Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert won’t play in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos, coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday.
Backup quarterback Trey Lance will start, while DJ Uiagalelei, who has been on the practice squad all season, will be elevated as the backup.
Herbert, who will not dress out for the game, has been playing through a fractured left hand since Week 13. Harbaugh said other starters could also be held out of Sunday’s game.
“Winning and health, being healthy, those are our two objectives,” Harbaugh said. “And guys that we think — the doctors, the trainers, myself, organization — that have the most bruises and need that time the most, we’ve decided that’s the direction we’re going.”
Denver will clinch the AFC’s No. 1 seed with a win Sunday.
The Chargers’ loss to the Houston Texans this past weekend knocked them out of contention for the AFC West title, and the finale solely impacts playoff seeding — they could be as high as the fifth seed with a win — and not home-field advantage.
Herbert threw for 236 yards and a touchdown against the Texans and was the team’s leading rusher with 37 yards. He winced in pain after landing on his injured hand on the first of five sacks in the loss.
Harbaugh said Herbert’s absence is not about manipulating wild-card matchups.
“Health and winning. That’s it,” he said. “There’s no way to predict. We’re going on the road, first round. All potential teams would be good, and we’ll get ourselves ready for that.”
Herbert, who was selected to his second Pro Bowl, will finish his sixth season with 3,727 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also rushed for a career-high 498 yards and added two more scores.
