Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said quarterback Justin Herbert is "OK" after the QB suffered an apparent injury to his abdomen in the late stages of the Chargers' 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Staley added that he would know more on Friday regarding the status of Herbert, who underwent X-rays following the game and did not speak to the media.
With a few minutes left in the fourth quarter Herbert got drilled in the ribs on a hit in the backfield, crashing to the field hard and immediately grabbing his midsection.
Herbert laid on the ground for a couple minutes as team doctors took a look at him, before walking to the sidelines unassisted. Herbert sat out the mandatory one play with backup QB Chase Daniel filling in. Herbert retook the field, and though he was visibly wincing after every subsequent hit, he kept playing. The Chargers punted on that possession, but on the ensuing possession Herbert was back on the field looking to lead his team to victory.
Herbert, who was sacked twice and hit eight times in the game, was able to lead a touchdown drive, completing a key pass to DeAndre Carter for 35 yards before finding Josh Palmer for a 7-yard touchdown, but did not get a chance to finish the comeback after Los Angeles was unable to recover the onside kick.
"You're not going to see a quarterback at any level of football play tougher and do more for their team and will their team to give them a chance more than him," Staley said. "There's nobody that can do what he can do, nobody. He showed a lot of guts, he showed us what he shows every day, that we're never out of the fight, and he brought us back and gave us a chance."
The Chargers' next game is in 10 days against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
