The Los Angeles Chargers will not have Justin Herbert under center in Week 15 against the Las Vegas Raiders at home due to an injury he suffered in Week 14's loss to the Denver Broncos, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
“Chargers’ QB Justin Herbert is not expected to play Thursday night vs the Raiders due to his fractured right index finger and he will be consulting with Dr. Steven Shin to determine the extent of the injury and how much time he will miss, per source.”
This is a painful update for the Chargers, to say the least, as their dim playoff chances just got bleaker. Without Herbert, the floor and ceiling of Los Angeles' offense are going to be lower. In the meantime, the Chargers can be expected to roll with backup Easton Stick handling the quarterbacking duties for the 5-8 squad versus the Raiders.
Chargers lose Justin Herbert to injury
Herbert sustained the finger injury during the second quarter of Sunday's 24-7 home loss to the Broncos. Stick took over after Herbert's exit from the Broncos game, going 13-for-24 for 179 passing yards with zero touchdowns and no interceptions. Stick, however, fumbled the ball twice and lost one of them.
The Chargers might have to lean more on their rushing attack going forward. That means increased workload for running back Austin Ekeler, who had 51 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in the loss to the Broncos.
Considering their current playoff odds and the fact that only four games are remaining on their schedule, the Chargers don't have to rush Herbert back.
Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension deal with the Chargers last July.
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