Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is to have an operation to repair the broken bone in his left hand he suffered during Sunday’s 31–14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, head coach Jim Harbaugh has confirmed.

Harbaugh described the injury as ‘a break in the back of the hand’ and admitted that the team will ‘see where the week takes us’, while praising Herbert’s toughness having, “Taped it up, [put on a] glove and played a great game”.

The quarterback briefly exited the game late in the first quarter before returning early in the next period, relieving backup Trey Lance. The starter immediately connected with Keenan Allen on a key third-down completion, but ended the drive by throwing an interception while targeting Ladd McConkey in the endzone.

To protect the injury, the Chargers kept Herbert exclusively in shotgun and pistol formations, avoiding snaps under center, with Lance apparently prepared to take over in goal-line or short-yardage situations. Despite that, and having to play with a bulky white glove on his left hand, Herbert ultimately finished the game, leading further touchdown drives to salt away a vital divisional victory.

The team has confirmed that the talismanic quarterback is scheduled to undergo surgery later today (Monday), which makes his availability for next week’s Monday Night Football clash with the Philadelphia Eagles somewhat uncertain. Herbert, however, told journalists that he hoped the injury wouldn’t force him to miss time, but conceded that the hardest part of playing with a hard cast would be guaranteeing ball security. Past experience — including suffering a broken finger in 2023 — has shown that he is capable of adapting quickly to constraints, but Herbert insisted he was keeping an open mind over his return.

“I’m treating it as if I’m playing on Monday,” he commented. “The [doctors] were very hopeful for that, but we’ll get a feel for it [after surgery].”

With five games remaining, the Chargers sit at 8–4, currently holding the AFC’s #5 seed. Whether their franchise quarterback is under center to try and continue that playoff trajectory or not now hinges on how the surgical procedure goes.