Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is expected to be less than 100 percent when he faces the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Herbert’s ankle injury, suffered in Week 2, has limited his practice time.
On his recent appearance on Good Morning Football NFL Insider Ian Rapoport labeled Herbert as questionable heading into Sunday’s game.
Justin Herbert Was Extremely Limited In Practice
“He was limited in practice yesterday with an ankle injury,” Rapoport said. “Had X-rays, had an MRI after the game. My understand was it was mostly clean, so it didn’t seem to be a major injury … He was, I would say, extremely limited yesterday. Shown heavily taped, really moving very little. He is going to try to get out there. It sounds like the team expects him to get out there. You just wonder how actually effective Herbert is going to be against Pittsburg.”
Despite undergoing tests that revealed no major structural damage, Herbert has been noticeably limited in practice. The Chargers’ head coach Jim Harbaugh remains optimistic about his ability to play, but Harbaugh has been notoriously cagey when sharing injury information
The injury occurred in the third quarter of the Week 2 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Herbert was slow to get up and was taken to the medical tent, but he returned to the game and played the entire fourth quarter.
The Chargers’ offense has relied heavily on their running game, led by former Ravens running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. While this approach has been successful, it will be challenging against the Steelers’ stout defense.
The Chargers backup is Easton Stick. Stick started the last four games of the 2023 season. The team lost all of those efforts and scored just 16 points per game. He also struggled to get the offense churning in the preseason. He went 25 of 55 for 303 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.
