Chargers QB Justin Herbert doesn’t practice because of right ankle injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Quarterback Justin Herbert did not practice on Wednesday as the Los Angeles Chargers began preparations for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Herbert’s right ankle got rolled up on during the third quarter of last Sunday’s 26-3 victory over the Carolina Panthers. He was not seen on the field at UNC Charlotte during the reporters’ viewing period, which occurred at the start of the two-hour session.

The Chargers, 2-0 for the first time since 2012, remained in Charlotte this week with consecutive games in the Eastern time zone.

Coach Jim Harbaugh said on Monday that X-rays on Herbert’s ankle were negative. Before Wednesday’s practice Harbaugh said he expects the fifth-year quarterback to continue to get healthier as the week goes along.

“I was in a meeting with him and he said he was feeling much better and good today,” Harbaugh said.

The injury happened with 2:03 remaining in the third quarter. Herbert moved up in the pocket as it collapsed, but his lower right leg was rolled up on from behind by linebacker D.J. Johnson as he fumbled the ball at the Carolina 20-yard line.

Herbert walked gingerly to the sideline and pointed to his right ankle while talking to trainers on the bench. He briefly spent time in the medical tent, but did not miss any snaps after he got his ankle taped up. Herbert was 14 of 20 for 130 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. It was his lowest passing yardage total in a full game in five NFL seasons.

It is the second time in three seasons Herbert is dealing with an injury going into a Week 3 game. In 2022, he sustained fractured rib cartilage after taking a hard hit from Kansas City defensive lineman Michael Danna during the fourth quarter of a game against the Chiefs.

Herbert was questionable going into the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but did play. He went he went 25 of 45 for 297 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 38-10 loss.

Herbert missed two weeks during training camp because of an injury to the plantar fascia in his right foot, but has been full-go in practice during the first two weeks of the regular season. He also had a torn labrum to his non-throwing shoulder near the end of the 2022 season and two broken fingers last year, including one on his throwing hand that caused him to miss the final four games.

Easton Stick, who has four regular-season starts in five-plus seasons, is the backup even though the Chargers acquired Taylor Heinicke from the Atlanta Falcons at the end of the preseason.

Heinicke, who has started 29 games during his seven-year career, has been inactive the first two games of the season and is listed as the emergency third QB.

When asked who would start on Sunday if Herbert couldn’t go, Harbaugh said “right now it’s Easton, but we’re going to be way over the legal limit of what-ifs.”

The Chargers’ fast start can be mostly attributed to the running game. J.K. Dobbins leads the league with 266 rushing yards and is the first player since San Francisco’s Garrison Hearst in 1998 to have 130 rushing yards and a touchdown run in each of his team’s first two games.

Los Angeles’ average of 197.5 yards rushing is second in the NFL. Herbert has thrown it only 46 times in the first two games but does have three TD passes.

The Chargers have called 48 pass plays compared to 71 designed runs. The 40.8% pass rate is third lowest in the league.

Only the Steelers and New Orleans Saints have called a higher percentage of running plays.

NOTES: Wide receiver Joshua Palmer (elbow/calf), cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor (fibula) and linebackers Junior Colson (hamstring) and Bud Dupree (illness) also did not practice. Linebacker Joey Bosa (hip), safety Alohi Gilman (knee), tight end Hayden Hurst (ankle) and linebacker Khalil Mack (rest) were listed as limited.

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