The Latest on Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s Finger Issue

The Los Angeles Chargers suffered yet another loss as they fell to the Houston Texans 44-22 on Sunday afternoon, which now drops the Chargers to 0-8.

Not only did the Chargers lose, but they were dominated, and quarterback Justin Herbert appears to be banged up with a potential fracture in his left middle finger.

On that note, according to Adam Schefter, Herbert was set to undergo testing on his left middle finger. Schefter also noted that head coach Jim Harbaugh said it "could be a fracture, we'll find out."

Additionally, Harbaugh said that he overruled Herbert for going back in the game, which is why the Chargers put in backup quarterback DJ Uiagalelei to finish the game.

It was later reported that results came back negative, which is positive news. 

With all that in mind, it is clear that the Chargers do need to be cautious with Herbert to ensure that this is not a major injury, because with the season essentially over when it comes to playoff contention, there is no reason to push Herbert to play and risk his future health.

Focusing on Herbert, he took a beating on Sunday as he was sacked eight times by the Texans and was taking hits all game long, which made it very difficult for him to stay in the pocket and deliver the ball to his receivers. Even so, Herbert did everything he could and continued to take the hits and was able to throw a 58-yard touchdown to wide receiver Quentin Johnston in the fourth quarter, but overall it was a tough game.

Moving on from the Chargers latest loss, the trade deadline is on Tuesday at 4 PM EST so it is going to be interesting to see if Los Angeles does end up making some moves or if they are really going to stick with who they have despite the fact that they are now 0-8.

This has clearly not been the season that the Chargers were hoping for, but there is nothing they can do about it now other than potentially make moves and prepare to put their best effort on the field each week.

Looking ahead to next week, the Chargers will go on the road for Monday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens, so that does give LA an extra day to figure out what they want to do with Herbert and also prepare a solid game plan with the hope of picking up their first win of the 2026 season.

So, moving forward, it will be worth monitoring the status of Herbert and how the Chargers decide to proceed with those results, as well as whether they decide to make any moves before the trade deadline, because that could determine how the year finishes, but also how this team looks heading into 2027.