Justin Herbert gets his first NFL start for the Los Angeles Chargers

Tyrod Taylor suffered a chest injury sometime before the game, leading to Justin Herbert making his first NFL start for the Chargers.

In a bit of a late-afternoon surprise, the Los Angeles Chargers opened their Week 2 outing against the Kansas City Chiefs with a new quarterback under center. Tyrod Taylor was out with a chest injury, and when the Chargers’ offense took the field it was rookie Justin Herbert in at quarterback.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Taylor suffered a chest injury “after pregame warmups and before the kickoff:”

You might think this would create a tough opportunity for a rookie quarterback, but Herbert responded to the moment. Pressed into action he led the Chargers on a touchdown drive on their first possession, capping it off with a touchdown run of his own:

Obviously there is a long way to go, but getting a win in his first start – under these circumstances – would be quite the impressive debut from the rookie quarterback.