EL SEGUNDO — Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was listed as a limited participant in the team’s practices on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but they dropped him from their final injury report of the week, which means he’s good to go for Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
As if there were any doubt, right?
Herbert has played all but four games since assuming the Chargers’ starting quarterback role in Week 2 of his rookie season in 2020. The only reason he didn’t play in those four games in 2023 was because he was physically unable to do so after suffering a season-ending finger injury.
He simply couldn’t control the ball or he might have played.
So, surgery on Dec. 1 on his fractured left, non-throwing hand suffered one day earlier in the first quarter of the Chargers’ victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, while nothing to be taken lightly, hasn’t kept Herbert from the field. He has been sidelined for a grand total of 10 snaps since he was hurt.
As he did in the final three quarters of a 31-14 victory over the Raiders and a 22-19 overtime decision over the Philadelphia Eagles this past Monday night, Herbert is expected to play with padded protection covering his damaged left hand when he takes the field against the Chiefs.
Coach Jim Harbaugh couldn’t say whether Herbert’s hand was in better shape on Friday than it was at any point earlier in the week. Perhaps he knew but didn’t wish to share when he met with beat reporters for the final time before the team boarded its chartered aircraft for Kansas City.
Herbert said earlier this week his hand wasn’t as swollen or sore this week as it was last week.
“He’s a man of few words when it comes to that, you know, ‘How do you feel?’” Harbaugh said when asked for an update on Herbert’s progress after surgery. “I respect that. I respect that in people. You know, they’re busy doing things. They’re doers. So, I don’t know exactly.”
Herbert didn’t skip a start in the 2022 season despite suffering fractured rib cartilage in a Week 2 game against the Chiefs in Kansas City. He sat out the final four games of the ’23 season because of a fractured right index finger in a Week 13 game against the Denver Broncos.
Last season, he sprained his right ankle in a game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2 and aggravated it one week later against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He started all 17 games of the ’24 season, guiding the Chargers into the playoffs in Harbaugh’s first season as their coach.
CALM, COMPOSED
Cameron Dicker’s five-field goal performance against the Eagles, including the game-winning boot from 54 yards, was his second game with five successful kicks this season. He also had five field goals in the Chargers’ victory over the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 12, including the winner from 33 yards.
Ryan Ficken, the Chargers’ special teams coordinator, couldn’t name anyone he’s worked with over the years, dating to his seasons as an assistant coach with UCLA in 2004, with the composure that compares to Dicker, the NFL’s most accurate kicker (122 of 130, 93.8%) with 100 career attempts or more.
“No, and that’s what makes him so special,” Ficken said.
Dicker is 31 for 33 this season, his only misses coming on one from beyond 50 yards in a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 9 and a 40-yard try that had plenty of distance but struck the upright during a victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 23. Dicker has never missed from inside 40 yards in his career.
INJURY REPORT
Wide receiver Derius Davis was ruled out of Sunday’s game because of an ankle injury. Safety Elijah Molden (hamstring) and offensive lineman Trey Pipkins III were listed as doubtful to play. Linebacker Troy Dye (hip) and wide receiver Quentin Johnston (groin) were said to be questionable.
