After a massively injury-riddled season, the Los Angeles Chargers are going back to the NFL playoffs, and they will finish no lower than sixth place in the AFC.
They will wrap up their regular season schedule on Sunday versus the Denver Broncos, a team that has been a disaster and has been out of playoff contention for a while.
Quarterback Justin Herbert popped up on the Chargers’ injury list on Wednesday, even though he was still a full participant in practice.
#Chargers injury report for Wednesday (estimated bc team held walkthrough)
LIMITED: OT Trey Pipkins (knee), FB Zander Horvath (ankle)
S Derwin James (concussion) was estimated as full.
QB Justin Herbert was listed with a left shoulder injury but was estimated as full.
— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) January 4, 2023
It may not be a concerning injury, but some may feel the team should sit him out against Denver in order to prevent aggravating it.
Would that be a prudent approach?
The Chargers May Know Their Seeding Fate Before Kickoff
For Los Angeles to finish fifth in the AFC, either it needs to win in Week 18 or the Baltimore Ravens need to lose to the Cincinnati Bengals on the same day.
Baltimore’s game starts at 1 p.m. Eastern time, while the Bolts will kick off at about 4:25 p.m. Eastern time, so it is very possible they get the news that the fifth seed is theirs regardless before they even start their contest.
In that scenario, one may argue Herbert shouldn’t play at all.
However, there is a different school of thought where some would argue if Herbert is able to play, he should play even if the fifth seed has already been wrapped up.
The reasoning here is that the Chargers will need to maintain the offensive rhythm they have started to develop during their current four-game winning streak while maintaining the right winning habits.
Of course, if Herbert’s shoulder is especially troublesome, his health would be of the utmost importance.
