Expectations were high for Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert entering his third season.
While he finished second in passing yards (4,739) and third in completion percentage (68.2%), Herbert was hamstrung by a couple of injuries that kept him from playing at the level of his first two campaigns.
Herbert suffered fractured rib cartilage in the second week of the season against the Chiefs. Additionally, he sustained a torn labrum in his left shoulder at some point, resulting in having surgery at the end of the season.
Herbert spoke to Kay Adams on Up & Adams, detailing how the injuries impacted him during the season.
“I think the ribs early on were pretty tough,” Herbert said. “It’s kind of a discomfort that I had to deal with for six or seven weeks. But as that got better, time healed.
The shoulder was kind of another discomfort thing. I was able to throw and was able to do everything, but I was kind of limited during practice. So, I had to find my way of being out there and getting all the reps without actually doing them all.”
After taking the huge shot to the ribs from Chiefs edge defender Mike Danna, Herbert, surprisingly, would miss just one play before returning to the field and finishing the game despite taking several more shots to the affected area.
“I’d like to think so,” Herbert said when asked if toughness is his defining characteristic. “As a quarterback and teammate, you need to be able to put everything on the line.
So even when you don’t feel great, and you don’t want to play, and you don’t want to go to practice, you need to be able to go out there and give your best cause your teammates deserve that.”
The Chargers expect Herbert to be cleared for participation in the spring.