Chargers Justin Herbert reportedly considers getting an injection for a rib injury.

Youssef Shnino
25 Sep, 2022

According to ESPN, once Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert goes through pregame warm-ups before his team's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, he will decide whether to have a painkiller injected into his damaged rib cartilage.

Chargers Justin Herbert reportedly considers getting an injection for a rib injury.
Justin Herbert was injured during the Chargers' Week 2 defeat to the Chiefs in the fourth quarter. (Reed Hoffmann/Associated Press)

Herbert was struck on the left side by Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna late in the Chargers' 27-24 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 15, and while he continued to play, he was clearly in a lot of agony. According to ESPN, there was some dispute regarding whether he should play against the Jaguars, with doubt about his availability building as the week progressed.

On Friday, Chargers Coach Brandon Staley stated Herbert was "day-to-day," while veteran NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck added, "I've had that injury and it stinks."

Hasselbeck indicated on ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown" that special padding will assist, but former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan was emphatic. "If I had this kid as my franchise quarterback, he's not playing this week," Ryan said, adding that defenses will try to make Herbert "uncomfortable." That's who I am."

According to ESPN, Herbert's injection would be guided by ultrasound to prevent hitting a lung, which is a recognized risk with these treatments. Tyrod Taylor, the Chargers' quarterback at the time, had his lung perforated by a painkilling injection for a rib injury in 2020. Taylor has subsequently filed a lawsuit against the Chargers' team physician.

Despite the injection, Hasselbeck says that jogging, attempting to regain your breath, and crying out a hard court will be difficult. He did, however, clarify that he did not sit out while he was injured. "I went back in that day and, in retrospect, I wish I hadn't because it never healed and it wrecked me for the rest of the year." In retrospect, I wish I had sat out."

Herbert's front-line defense will likely suffer as well, with center Corey Linsley classified as questionable with a knee injury.

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