Unfortunately, Justin Herbert's perennial saga of dealing with an injury at some point during the NFL season has continued in 2024. Although the Chargers are 2-0 and are on pace to make it a clean sweep through three games this weekend, the quarterback's current ailment doesn't leave much optimism for long-term success.
It was known the quarterback was dealing with some variation of an ankle injury that kept him limited in practice all week, which is not what anyone wanted to hear going into a tough matchup against the Steelers on the road.
The latest update regarding his situation, which came straight from Herbert himself after practice concluded on Friday, has made matters even worse.
He revealed he is dealing with a high ankle sprain that is "getting better every day." While that's a positive twist on the situation, this kind of injury can nag a player much longer than expected and is not the type of diagnosis to feel good about, especially now that he is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game.
#Chargers QB Justin Herbert said he’s dealing with a high ankle sprain but that it’s “getting better every day.”
— Eric Smith (@Eric_L_Smith) September 20, 2024
Said his status for Sunday is yet to be determined. pic.twitter.com/MWiUwM1fLu
If he's good to go, then he should definitely play. But it's also a difficult decision to weigh because of how early it is in the season.
Would it be better to rest him now so he's ready to play when the games matter more down the stretch? Or would it best to keep him in because he gives the Chargers a much better chance of winning and increasing their playoff hopes, even if it risks further injuring his ankle?
No matter what, the team's situation is not great so early in the year, especially when their backup quarterbacks aren't the most reliable.
Fortunately, they have a good running back to rely on, as long as that doesn't get blown up this week, that could carry the offense for much of the year and take some pressure off Herbert for the time being.