Not much has gone right for the Los Angeles Chargers in a season that has slid from playoff expectations to a 0-8 record.

Even so, the final minutes of Sunday’s 44-22 loss to the Houston Texans gave fans at SoFi Stadium a moment worth remembering, as undrafted rookie DJ Uiagalelei jogged onto the field for his first NFL snaps and led a touchdown drive on his very first possession.

Uiagalelei’s chance came under the worst circumstances when Justin Herbert had been sacked a career-high eight times, and on the last of those, Logan Hall’s takedown on the first offensive snap of the fourth quarter hurt the middle finger on his left hand.

Herbert stayed in long enough to throw a 58-yard touchdown to Quentin Johnston, the play that ended a 37-drive scoring drought.

After that, Jim Harbaugh overruled his quarterback’s wish to keep playing and handed the final two possessions to the rookie from Florida State.

Uiagalelei finished 2-of-7 for 24 yards, but what stood out was how his first drive ended: a 15-yard touchdown pass over the middle that cut the deficit to 41-22.

That gave the Chargers two touchdowns in one quarter, more than they had managed in the previous month.

For a quarterback whose college career went from Clemson to Oregon State to Florida State, with plenty of criticism along the way, it was a quiet but meaningful first step at the professional level.

The good news for Los Angeles is that the imaging on Herbert’s non-throwing hand came back negative for a fracture, and Harbaugh said Monday that his franchise quarterback should be good to go for next week’s Monday night trip to Baltimore.

Still, a finger injury to a quarterback who is taking this kind of punishment is not something a coaching staff can dismiss.

If the hand swells, limits his grip on snaps, or gets worse behind a line that cannot keep defenders out of the backfield, Uiagalelei becomes the next option.

At 6-foot-4 and around 250 pounds, Uiagalelei has the frame to shed arm tackles and pick up yards with his legs, which could help an offense that has spent the season stuck in long-yardage situations.

Mike McDaniel’s quick-timing passing game was built to get the ball out before the pocket collapses, and a quarterback willing to take off and run could, oddly enough, ease the protection problems that have plagued Herbert all year.

His accuracy has always been the knock against him, though, and a 2-of-7 debut won’t quiet that concern.

Baltimore is expected to start the newly acquired Jacoby Brissett, and the short week leaves both sides with limited time to prepare.

That could make a lower-scoring, run-heavy game the most realistic path to a first win for the Chargers, whoever lines up under center.

For now, Herbert remains the starter, and Herbert has said he will do whatever he can to be 100 percent, but in a season this far off the rails, the Chargers at least know that their undrafted rookie won’t be fazed by the moment.