Justin Herbert injury: Chargers QB’s surgery could impact Buffalo Bills playoff run

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert broke his non-throwing hand in Sunday’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders. After the game, the Chargers stated that their starting quarterback will undergo surgery on Monday, and that his status for Week 14 is uncertain.

Herbert, however, is making plans to play a week after the surgery when the Chargers host the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.

Los Angeles currently sits at the fifth seed position in the AFC’s playoff picture. The Chargers have an 8-4 record as do the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts. Los Angeles has a 7-2 record in conference games, giving them the edge in the NFL’s tiebreaking rules. The Colts, currently the sixth seed after having fallen from the top of the conference in a quick slide, are 6-3 while Buffalo sits at 5-3.

We just watched Aaron Rodgers play a complete game with a broken wrist on his non-throwing hand. While the Pittsburgh Steelers lost as the Bills scored 23 unanswered points, it wasn’t Rodgers’ splinted hand that was the reason. It’s reasonable to think that Herbert could play Monday night if (a) his surgery goes well, and (b) the Los Angeles medical team can bandage him up enough to protect the surgeon’s work.

Obviously, with the Chargers two games out of first place in the AFC West but only one game from being listed as “in the hunt” rather than as a wild card team, Herbert wants to do all he can to keep the tallies adding up in the win column, but with the Chargers’ quarterback having been sacked 38 times this season, including 16 in the last four games, it might take bubble wrap to keep his hand intact. If Herbert can’t go, it will be Trey Lance, who will be under center in Los Angeles.