The Los Angeles Chargers returned to victory against AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders with a score of 31-14. Shortly after the match, Coach Jim Harbaugh disclosed that quarterback Justin Herbert fractured a bone in his left, non-throwing hand and is scheduled for surgery on Monday.

Herbert sustained the injury during the opening drive of the game, which was concluded with a 10-yard touchdown from his teammate Quentin Johnston. The injury occurred when he suffered a major hit from Jeremy Chinn, the Raiders’ safety, but Herbert was able to continue playing initially.

“The hit on Justin Herbert that sent him to the locker room with a left hand injury. He is questionable to return. Still in the locker room,” as noted by James Palmer.

After Kirkland returned to the game wearing a protective glove post-injury, he managed to complete 15 out of 20 passes for 151 yards, achieving two touchdowns and one interception during the game, making history by surpassing Dan Marino with the third-most passing yards (23,935) within the first six seasons of any quarterback in NFL history. For the win, the Chargers leaned heavily on their running game, with Kimani Vidal and Jaret Patterson contributing a total of 180 yards and two touchdowns.

As for Herbert’s recovery timeline, he expressed to reporters that he was preparing for the upcoming game as if he would be fit to play against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, although Trey Lance might get the start if Herbert’s condition doesn’t improve ahead of week 14.