COSTA MESA, Calif. — Justin Herbert is confident that the broken middle finger on his left hand will not affect his performance when the Los Angeles Chargers face the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night.
However, Herbert and the team are taking precautions with the injury.
During Thursday’s practice, Herbert wore a glove on his left hand and expects to wear it during the game. When asked if the glove would protect his finger or help him grip the ball, Herbert mentioned it would do both. He believes it will help cover the finger and provide a better grip.
The injury occurred late in the third quarter of the Chargers’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders on October 1st when Herbert’s finger got caught in the helmet of Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Herbert wore a splint on his hand during the fourth quarter but still managed to complete two out of three pass attempts, including a 51-yard pass to Joshua Palmer that sealed a victory.
To protect his hand, Herbert is avoiding taking snaps under center in practice this week. He has only lined up under center for 17.5% of the Chargers’ offensive plays in the first four games.
Despite the injury, Herbert has a passer rating of 106.3, ranking him third in the league.
During his bye week, Herbert focused on receiving treatment for his hand but did not seek outside medical advice.
Aside from wearing the glove, Herbert does not anticipate making any other adjustments due to the injury. He feels comfortable running and throwing the ball and believes the focus during the game will be on avoiding tackles and hits.
In addition to news about Herbert’s injury, coach Brandon Staley addressed the trade of cornerback J.C. Jackson to the New England Patriots on October 5th. Jackson, who signed a multi-year contract with the Chargers in March, was never on the same page with Staley and was a healthy inactive for one game and didn’t play a snap against the Raiders.
Staley explained that the trade was deemed the best decision for the team based on Jackson’s previous performance and current situation.
