Los Angeles Chargers: There is no way Justin Herbert should play in Week 4

The timing of the Los Angeles Chargers having multiple key injuries and facing the Kansas City Chiefs in their next game is terribly unfortunate, but sometimes those are the breaks.

Jim Harbaugh is a competitor who no doubt believes this Chargers team can be a contender this season. This is his first crack at Andy Reid and the Chiefs and he wants to put his best foot forward. No one could blame him for that.

But last week, the Chargers allowed Justin Herbert to say he was fine and take the field, despite a high ankle sprain. He didn’t finish the game and things went directly south from the moment he limped off. Herbert is already stating that he will also play in Week 4 against Kansas City.

From The Insiders on @NFLNetwork: #Chargers QB Justin Herbert sounds like a player adamant about playing, despite a high-ankle sprain. pic.twitter.com/YrqKnbTj9H

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 25, 2024

Bad idea. BAD. IDEA.

It’s admirable that Herbert wants to be out there for his guys. That is the kind of leader every team should want at the quarterback position, but there are several reasons why he should be talked down this time.

1. Both starting tackles are expected to miss this game

Not just one, but both of them. Joe Alt (MCL sprain) and Rashawn Slater (pectoral) will likely be out of action here, leaving the team to put together a makeshift offensive line for a gimpy quarterback? If that sounds like a recipe for disaster, that’s because it is.

2. The team has a bye next week

That bye could not come at a better time. It makes so much more sense to allow Herbert to rest this week, have the bye week, and then come back in Week 6 ready to go.

3. The team is flirting with a long-term problem

Herbert sat out the preseason with plantar fasciitis and now has a high ankle sprain. Those are two conditions that don’t just suddenly get better and both could plague him for most of this season. If he gets injured badly against the Chiefs, he could find himself on the shelf for the rest of the year.

Harbaugh needs to prepare a game plan that involves Taylor Heinicke as the starter. Herbert needs to be told that the best move for the duration of this season is to rest the ankle. If Alt and Slater were playing, it might be worth a discussion, but with them both out, it’s borderline negligent to have him out there.

Though it would be hard to more or less throw in the towel against the Chiefs, the Chargers can lick their wounds and battle back during a long 17-game season. They will get another crack at the Chiefs in December and they could load up and hit them with their best shot that week.

They won’t hit them with their best shot on Sunday, no matter what.