The Los Angeles Chargers are heading into a regular-season finale, but their offensive leader will not be there. The team has benched quarterback Justin Herbert on the heels of a hand injury. With Los Angeles already finding his replacement, head coach Jim Harbaugh shared how Herbert handled the decision. Signs of frustration? It’s quite the opposite, as the player’s reaction screamed nothing but professionalism and a leadership mindset. 

“Few words. Respected our decision,” Harbaugh revealed via journalist Eric Smith’s post on X. “Not like it’s a week off, he was the last person to leave the building last night and one of the first in this morning. He’ll practice today.”

The message is loud and clear: Justin Herbert may not turn up for the Week 18 showdown, but he’s not giving up on his work ethic. Meanwhile, Harbaugh confirmed on Monday that Herbert will sit out the game against the Denver Broncos due to injury. For those who don’t know, the 27-year-old underwent surgery on December 1 on his non-throwing left hand to stabilize a fracture. As he continues to recover, the coach confirmed Herbert practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday.

At the time of writing, the team hasn’t officially ruled him out, but he’ll likely be inactive on Sunday. The decision also comes after their 20-16 loss to the Houston Texans, which resulted in injuries to many players on the team. Herbert falls into that group after taking five sacks and grimacing in pain after a hit in the first half. And most importantly, this loss eliminated the Chargers from the AFC West picture. In Harbaugh’s view, there’s no point in risking further injury to his players with the playoffs around the corner. 

“The guys that have the most bruises and need the most healing, we’ll pull them back. Justin Herbert would be one,” he told reporters on Monday. “We’ll see how the rest of the week goes with who all they are. They’ll be some situations where some starters are backups.” 

Beyond the health scares, Justin Herbert’s season has been impressive. So far, he has recorded 3,727 passing yards with 26 touchdowns while adding a career-high 498 rushing yards. But after his benching, former third-overall pick Trey Lance will start against the Broncos. 

Trey Lance gears up for sixth NFL start

The Chargers’ roster has undergone important shake-ups ahead of their Week 18 contest. The team has picked Trey Lance for the QB1 role and has also elevated quarterback DJ Uiagalelei from the practice squad to serve as the backup. Lance played college football for the North Dakota State Bison before the San Francisco 49ers selected him in the 2021 NFL Draft. 

However, injuries and limited playing opportunities eventually sent him to the Dallas Cowboys, where he spent two seasons as a reserve. He joined Harbaugh’s team in 2025 and is now set to make his sixth career start across four NFL seasons. And guess what? The quarterback couldn’t hide his excitement when speaking to the press on Wednesday. 

“I’m super excited,” he said. “Just thankful, very thankful that I’m going to get the opportunity to get on the field and start a game this year and go out and make the most of it. Get a win, obviously, is the goal, and to keep guys healthy…”

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As for Sunday’s game, it carries different stakes for both teams. The Broncos will lock up the AFC’s top seed if they win. On the other hand, the Chargers’ loss to the Texans has left them without a home-field advantage. And now, they can aim as high as the fifth seed in the conference.