Justin Herbert’s ankle injury might've been worse than we thought

Justin Herbert’s ankle injury has been an overlooked factor around nearly everything that has unfolded for the Los Angeles Chargers in Year 1 of the Jim Harbaugh era.

Herbert suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2, then aggravated it a week later. From the sounds of things around the team, he wasn’t really 100 percent until roughly near the end of October and that Week 8 win over the New Orleans Saints.

It’s probably no coincidence that since that point, the Chargers have won three straight while the offense continues to expand.

Notably, though, it sounds like that ankle injury was worse than what was even reported.

A new column from Eric Smith of Chargers.com added extra context: “Herbert gritted through a high ankle sprain earlier this season, an injury so severe that Harbaugh and Roman separately said Herbert was playing at ‘20 percent.’”

Fellow quarterback Taylor Heinicke added this, according to Smith: "He's a really tough cat. The thing about it, too, is he wanted to practice those weeks. He wants to take every rep, he loves the game of football. I've been around long enough to know where you kind of see guys that kind of look for excuses. He wants to be out there, he wants to be with his guys. He wants to compete.”

It certainly casts things in a new light. The Chargers installed a new offense under coordinator Greg Roman this year. The ankle injury limited what Herbert and the gameplans could do.

And it would seem that the Chargers have only lost games while Herbert’s been battling the issue. They’ve only lost to 7-2 Pittsburgh, 9-0 Kansas City and 6-4 Arizona. Only one of those losses was by more than seven points.

It certainly adds credibility to the idea the Chargers are a sneaky contender. That Week 4 loss to Kansas City, for example, not only had a hobbled Herbert, but both of his starting offensive tackles and pass-rusher Joey Bosa were dealing with injuries. Yet, a mere 17-10 loss.

Maybe this proves untrue. But the Chargers feel like a team getting healthier and more comfortable in new looks. The next two weeks against hopeful AFC contenders Cincinnati and Baltimore will say much about Herbert and Co.’s ability to contend this year.

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