Chargers’ Herbert has fractured rib cartilage
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has fractured rib cartilage after taking a hit during the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Coach Brandon Staley said a CT scan Friday morning confirmed the injury. Staley said the third-year quarterback is day-to-day and that his status will be evaluated again on Monday. The Chargers (1-1) don’t return to the practice field until Wednesday, when they will begin preparing to host Jacksonville on Sept. 25.
“I think we got good news in terms of what the CT scan showed. You don’t want it to be a fracture of the bone. So the fact that it’s cartilage was a good sign,” Staley said. “It’s going to come down to comfort. Let the weekend calm down and then when we get into game week we’ll have a better sense of how he’s feeling.”
Herbert completed 33 of 48 passes for 334 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. He missed only one play after taking a hard hit from Kansas City defensive lineman Michael Danna on 12-yard completion to Gerald Everett with five minutes to go.
Herbert was 7 of 11 for 79 yards after the injury, despite one play where he was in physical distress and threw the ball away on third-and-1 when he could have run for a first down. That stretch included a fourthdown bullet to DeAndre Carter for 35 yards to the Kansas City 8-yard line and then connecting with Joshua Palmer on fourth-and-goal for a 7-yard TD.
Homa shares lead with Willett at Fortinet
Max Homa moved into position to defend his title at the Fortinet Championship, shooting a 5-under 67 on Friday to share the 36-hole lead with Danny Willett at the PGA Tour’s season opener.
Homa, a two-time winner last season and a captain’s pick for next week’s Presidents Cup, had an eagle, four birdies and a bogey — his first of the week — for a twoday total of 12-under 132 at Silverado Resort & Spa.
Willett, winless in the United States since his triumph at the Masters in 2016, shot a bogey-free 64. The English player kept his PGA Tour card for this season because of players defecting to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series.
Willett has eight titles on the European tour, most recently last October at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.
He had eight birdies in his second round and is bogey-free for the week.
First-round leader Justin Lower and Byeong Hun An were two shots back. Lower had a 71. His best finish in 28 previous PGA Tour events dating to 2013 was a tie for eighth. An birdied the 18th and shot 68.