Justin Herbert might have all his limbs, but he’s playing on “Sunday Night Football” with more than just a scratch and a flesh wound.
The Chargers quarterback has been dealing with an injury to the middle finger on his non-throwing hand in Week 4, fracturing it in the third quarter of a game against the Raiders. He had a week off following the loss before playing on “Monday Night Football” against the Cowboys and then playing again six days later against the Chiefs, both of which were losses.
Herbert has largely struggled in those games, completing only 58.2 percent of his passes for 486 yards with three passing touchdowns and three interceptions. The Chargers lost both games.
Herbert has looked sharper against the Bears, but fans will still notice the wrap he has on that finger.
— NFL (@NFL) October 30, 2023
Here’s what you need to know about Herbert’s injury and the treatment for his non-throwing hand.
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Justin Herbert finger injury
The Chargers quarterback has been able to play through the injury, but he’s admitted it’s been a painful one with which to deal. And how he’s handled the injury has been different in different games.
For games against the Cowboys and Chiefs, he had a glove on with the wrap over his finger. However, according to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, Herbert had an issue with the glove against the Chiefs. The Chargers tried to put a large splint over a slightly smaller glove to fit over the splint, but the glove finger ripped on a handoff, prompting him to ditch the glove for the game against the Bears.
Instead, Herbert has a splint taped on his left middle finger. The impact of his injury was felt early in the game. Herbert took a snap under center on the Chargers’ first offensive play of the game, had trouble gripping the ball and wound up having to take a safe slide for a yard rather than try to get a throw off.
#Chargers Justin Herbert appears to still have a splint on his fractured left middle finger, but he’s not wearing a glove in warmups. Herbert had worn a glove on his left hand in warmups and during games since the injury in Week 4. pic.twitter.com/AYHl14neSa
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) October 29, 2023
Herbert has said during media availabilities that the glove had been to help with gripping the ball given the limitations of his injured finger. For most of the rest of the game, he’s been taking snaps out of the shotgun rather than direct handoffs under center. He had previously said leading up to the game against the Cowboys that he wouldn’t be practicing taking snaps under center.
“I think that’s one of those things that you don’t really want to put your hand in danger,” Herbert said, according to ESPN.
Fortunately for Herbert, the injury is to his non-throwing hand and it has been quite some time since he injured it. The further he gets from the Week 4 injury, the closer he’s getting to being back to full health.
“Every day it’s getting better,” Herbert said, according to the Orange County Register. “We’re coming up on four weeks, so just doing everything I can to limit the pain and every time I’m out here being safe.”
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