The Los Angeles Chargers walked out of their Week 3 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a mountain of injuries. Arguably the most detrimental of all those injuries they sustained was the one to star quarterback Justin Herbert.
The Chargers’ starting signal-caller has been dealing with an ankle injury this season and re-aggravated the injury in the Week 3 loss. Backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke went in for the injured Herbert in the fourth quarter and could be in line to start if Herbert is unable to go in Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Taylor Heinicke is ready to start for the Chargers if Justin Herbert is unavailable
The Chargers traded for Heinicke this offseason to give the team more security at the backup quarterback position. Heinicke has 29 career starts under his belt across his seven-year career and has earned a 13-15-1 record, which is not so bad for a backup signal-caller. Once again, Heinicke could be thrust into the starting lineup as the Chargers monitor the status of Herbert’s ankle. The veteran quarterback is unfazed by the pressure of potentially starting, however:
“It’s a difficult spot, but I feel like kind of my whole career has been like that, backup ready to go throughout my career,” Heinicke said to reporters (h/t Valentina Martinez of Sports Illustrated). “Had a lot of chances to play. It wasn’t something new but playing this defense at their place on a home opener, it was tough.”
The Chargers had difficulty moving the ball against the Steelers’ defense all day on Sunday, even with Herbert in the lineup. The Steelers have the NFL’s top-ranked defense through three weeks.
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It won’t exactly be easy sledding in Week 4 either. Los Angeles be hosting the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The Chiefs’ defense is also a formidable bunch and has given opponents fits so far this season. If Heinicke is called upon to start in Week 4, he will have a difficult task at hand as he fills in while Herbert recovers.
