Justin Herbert was a gametime decision to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday after suffering a rib cartilage fracture in Week 2.
He then lost his blindside protection in the third quarter when Rashawn Slater left the game with a bicep injury. So why — when his Los Angeles Chargers were hopelessly losing 38-10 — was the franchise quarterback still on the field late in the game?
That question came up in the fourth quarter as Herbert kept playing while the Jaguars led 31-10, 38-10. Head coach Brandon Staley explained the decision when asked about it in his post-game press conference. He left the decision to Herbert.
“He wanted to be out there with his teammates,” Staley said. “He felt good and wanted to finish the game. He wanted to give our group some energy.
“And we wanted to end up protecting him there with really solid protection – as best we could. But it was more about him wanting to deal with his boys.”
Again, the Chargers played with Storm Norton, the backup left tackle, who almost immediately allowed a pressure from Herbert as he entered the game and ended with two holding penalties. The protection would only be so “solid”. Plus, it’s the coach’s job to make that kind of decision, especially since NFL quarterbacks in general tend to gut it despite the risk — particularly one of Herbert’s caliber.
Let Herbert explain.
“I just didn’t want to leave the team,” said Herbert. “Obviously a tough day for us. But I didn’t want to go out. I felt like we were going to get the ball out quickly. I didn’t want to leave my team.
“Sometimes you have to put your own goals behind the team and I think that’s the most important thing. I felt safe out there. And I didn’t want to get off my team.”
He added that he would not have started on Sunday if he had not been assured by the team’s medical staff that he would be safe.
The story goes on
09/25/2022; Inglewood, California, United States; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley watches the first half of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
From a risk/reward perspective, the decision was easy. Take Herbert out of the game. The benefit of keeping him in the game was reducing a double-digit deficit to a smaller double-digit deficit. The downside was the continued corporal punishment of an already injured franchise quarterback for not having his best lineman on the field.
“That was just the decision we made,” Staley asked as he pressed the decision. “It was about us finishing the game as a team. And it was important to us that we made it.”
Luckily for Herbert and the Chargers, no further damage was done. Herbert finished the game with just one sack. The result doesn’t mean Staley made the right decision.
Staley is one of the game’s brightest young coaching stars, having made a name for himself by making unorthodox but analysis-based often correct decisions in high-leverage situations. Sunday’s call to keep Herbert in the game wasn’t one of those decisions.