Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is not ready to resume practicing yet, two days after surgery to repair a broken bone in his left hand.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters today that Herbert will be out of practice.
Herbert suffered the injury during Sunday’s game against the Raiders, threw a touchdown pass on the next play, then left the game briefly and returned and finished the game with his left hand in a cast, covered by a glove. He had surgery on Monday and said he thinks he will be able to play when the Chargers take the field on Monday night against the Eagles.
With the Chargers fighting for a playoff spot, Herbert will do everything in his power to get on the field, but for today at least, he’s not ready to go.
Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo took a break from discussing football matters at his Wednesday press conference to answer a question about his house being vandalized in the wake of last Fridays loss to the Bears.
Police in Moorestown, New Jersey confirmed that eggs were thrown at Patullo’s house after video of the incident circulated on social media. Patullo said that that being a coach for the Eagles has been a “very special” time for him and that he understands that there will be criticism directed at him for how the team does, but that anything involving his home or family is a bridge too far.
“As coaches and players, we all know that part of our job is to handle criticism,” Patullo said. “It’s perfectly acceptable to sit up here and talk about what’s going on, how to fix it, what we’re going to do going forward, and we know that. But when it involves your family, obviously it crosses the line. So, that happened. At this point, we’ve just gotta move on. We’re trying to win.”
Police said they were investigating the incident in hopes of identifying the people responsible and there have not been any further updates on that investigation.
The Eagles will be getting safety Marcus Epps back on the practice field.
They announced that they have designated Epps for return from injured reserve on Tuesday. Epps will have a 21-day window to practice with the team before he must be activated or shut down for the season. He can be activated at any point in that window.
Epps played in the first eight games of the season and was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury on November 1. He was credited with six tackles while seeing most of his playing time on special teams. Epps also played for the Eagles from 2019-2022 and returned after spending two seasons with the Raiders.
The Eagles also announced that they have released defensive back Parry Nickerson from the practice squad.
The NFL has announced kickoff times for the Saturday, Dec. 20 doubleheader featuring the Week 16 matchups between the Eagles and Commanders, along with the Bears and Packers.
Philadelphia at Washington will kick off at 5 p.m. ET. Green Bay at Chicago will kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET.
Both matchups will be televised on FOX.
While the Commanders are not in true contention for a postseason spot, the club could potentially play spoiler if the Eagles’ slide continues over the next couple of weeks.
The Packers and Bears will play one another at Lambeau Field this Sunday for their first matchup of the season before squaring off again just under two weeks later. Both contests will have significant consequences for the NFC North and the rest of the conference’s playoff picture.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert underwent surgery Monday to repair the broken bone in his left hand.
“Chargers QB Justin Herbert underwent successful surgery today in Los Angeles to stabilize a fracture in his left hand,” the team said in a statement. “Herbert’s return to play is considered day-to-day, and his status for next Monday’s game against Philadelphia will be determined later in the week.”
Herbert injured his left hand in the first series at the end of a 1-yard scramble when Panthers defensive back Jeremy Chinn slammed the quarterback to the ground. Herbert’s hand banged against the turf.
Herbert threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston on the next play, giving the Chargers a 7-0 lead after their first possession.
Herbert missed eight plays in the training room, with Trey Lance replacing him, before returning to the game with 11:56 remaining in the second quarter. He remained under center — instead of in the shotgun or pistol — the rest of the game.
“They just put a hard cast on it, put a glove around it. I think that was basically it,” Herbert said postgame.
The Chargers play the Eagles next Monday night, and Herbert said after Sunday’s win over the Raiders that he is hopeful of playing.
