Rib Injuries and the Chargers' Rookie QB Justin Herbert

The Chargers offense struggled at times in 2022, particularly after starting center Corey Linsley was sidelined with knee issues and right tackle Trey Pipkins III was hurt during practice. But Justin Herbert proved especially vulnerable due to these injuries and needed protection at all times.

After their Week 2 loss against the Chiefs, quarterback Mitchell was diagnosed with fractured rib cartilage. Nevertheless, he played through the pain to deliver an outstanding performance for his team.

Ribs

Have you ever experienced rib injuries before? They are excruciatingly painful, taking weeks or more to heal completely after occurring during a sport. Therefore, it is crucial that we understand how they occur and the signs they show up as symptoms.

Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers suffered a fractured rib cartilage after taking a hit late in the fourth quarter during Thursday night's 27-24 loss against Kansas City Chiefs. Although in significant pain immediately following, he stayed in the game and led an offensive drive forward despite this setback.

Coach Brandon Staley did not appear overly concerned after the game, and did not rule out Herbert from playing against Jacksonville Jaguars next week. In addition, there is 10 days off between games which should provide ample recovery time for Herbert after suffering his injury.

Dr. Ilan Danan of Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute noted that fractures to rib cartilage can be equally painful as fractures to its bones, although its blood supply is less. Therefore, its injury may take longer to heal due to this factor - which underscores why having a thorough recovery plan in place is so essential.

Back

Kay Adams hosted her show "Up & Adams" Thursday morning and tackled Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert's injuries head on. Adams commented on Herbert's toughness despite suffering fractured rib cartilage against Kansas City on Sept 15 and then later suffering a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder later that year.

Even while being limited in his return against Jacksonville on Sunday, Herbert managed to make an immediate impact, completing 23 of 33 passes for 311 yards with two touchdowns and a 94.4 rating - as well as scoring one rushing touchdown! Herbert nearly added another in the fourth quarter but was stripped by Jaguars defender Dre Greenlaw while trying to make a tackle and was stripped.

Joe Lombardi, grandson of Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi and Chargers offensive coordinator, took an aggressive approach with his play calling in order to protect and keep Herbert fresh, however he admitted he may have been too cautious and should increase the pace in future plays; that could help them produce more from their talented backfield even without Tolbert, Forsett, Slater and Pipkins in attendance.

Abdomen

At first, it appeared as though Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert had been badly hurt following a hit from defensive end Mike Danna during the fourth quarter of Thursday Night Football. He left the field briefly before returning with visible pain on his side; Amazon cameras captured footage showing him pointing toward his side as well as him declining running for first downs on subsequent series. However, that turn of events turned out not to be accurate at all and later series brought an impressive score-by-Sam Bradford of 20 points for LA on third down.

But he made some big throws to cut the final margin to three, including a 35-yard pass to DeAndre Carter on fourth down and an 11-yarder to Joshua Palmer in the back of the end zone. Head coach Brandon Staley did not believe it to be serious injury but said they would find out more on Friday.

Staley did not disclose the results of Herbert's x-rays, but indicated he expected this injury would not be an ongoing factor during the season. Staley noted that Herbert will likely be "OK", with this not expected to be a significant issue for him and noted it was most likely rib cartilage related and not bone fracture related. Rib cartilage typically heals faster and may cause less instability - yet is less secure and often painful in comparison.

Herbert should be fine to play against Jacksonville on Sunday if his cartilage injury doesn't worsen; otherwise, Chargers officials might consider giving their star quarterback an intercostal block injection prior to game day in order to reduce pain and inflammation.

Knee

Even after losing young left tackle Rashawn Slater to a torn Achilles, the Chargers offensive line has done an outstanding job protecting Herbert. Entering Sunday's game as four-point underdogs against Kansas City as four-point underdogs and winning with multiple injuries sustained by starting right tackle Trey Pipkins and center Corey Linsley as major setbacks, their performance stood up.

Herbert appears to be recovering well from his knee injury, as he fully participated in Friday's practice session that reporters could view and appeared to move without issue.

Fans were given relief as he had been listed as a game-time decision following an injury suffered against the Chiefs from Mike Danna's hard hit to his rib cartilage late in the contest, yet continued playing through it without experiencing significant pain following that play.

Cartilage receives less blood flow than bones, meaning fractures to it tend to take longer to heal than rib bone fractures; but that does not indicate anything major for Chargers fans.