All of the excitement around the LA Chargers heading into the 2024 season has taken a hit. On Thursday the Chargers announced that quarterback Justin Herbert will be in a walking boot for two weeks with a plantar fascia injury.
On paper, the Chargers have enough time to work Herbert back up to speed for the start of the regular season. But the team has to be careful, as a tear to his fascia would result in a season-ending injury for the star QB.
This is now the third straight year Herbert will be playing with some kind of injury during the football season. His injury history is starting to become long.
Major injuries that forced Justin Herbert to miss games
At the time of writing, there has only been one injury that has forced Justin Herbert to actually miss game action for the Bolts. That injury came in Week 14 of the 2023 season. Herbert fractured the index finger on his throwing hand after being hit by Denver Broncos defender Zach Allen.
With a 5-8 record, the Chargers essentially waved the white flag and kept Herbert out for the rest of the season. If the team would have made a playoff push Herbert probably would have tried to tough it out, but there was no point.
The Chargers lost the final four games of the season without Herbert under center. Los Angeles averaged 16 points per game without Herbert under center.
Injuries Justin Herbert played through
An injury doesn't always knock someone out of action but it certainly can impact how well someone plays. Unfortunately for Herbert, there have been cases where he was not 100% because of lingering injuries he sustained in game action.
Fractured left middle finger, 2023 Week 4
Prior to fracturing his index finger on his throwing hand, Herbert fractured his middle finger on his non-throwing hand early in the 2023 season. Herbert threw an interception against the Raiders and got his finger stuck in a facemask. As a result, Herbert had to wear a robotic splint and tape combination on his finger to stay in the game.
Herbert would not end up missing any time for the Chargers but it did have an impact on how he played. He initially could not catch snaps out of shotgun formation and noticeably had to hand the ball off differently because of his finger.
The finger continued to be a lingering issue throughout 2023 that didn't quite derail Herbert's season, but kept him from reaching his true ceiling.
Fractured rib cartilage, 2022 Week 2
Herbert was on the receiving end of a massive hit from Kansas City Chiefs defender Mike Danna in Week 2 of the 2022 season. This hit ended up having a huge impact on the rest of the season as it forced Herbert to play compromised.
Herbert was simply not the same for the next two months as it was noticeable he was playing through pain. In hindsight, the Chargers probably should have protected Herbert from himself and made him rest for at least one week with the injury. After all, in Week 3 the Bolts were crushed 38-10 by the Jacksonville Jaguars.