A Difficult End: Justin Herbert's Season Concludes on the Sidelines Against Denver

Well, as many might have expected, the Los Angeles Chargers are indeed heading into their final game of the season without their star quarterback, Justin Herbert. It’s a tough, somewhat anticlimactic end to what's been an undeniably difficult year for him, both personally with a string of injuries and collectively with the team's struggles.

This news comes as no great surprise, of course, following his recent surgery for a fractured right index finger, an injury that regrettably sidelined him a few weeks ago. So, Easton Stick will once again be under center for the Chargers, stepping in for Herbert as he has been, with rookie Max Duggan poised to back him up in the season closer.

Truth be told, this isn't the first time Herbert has missed a significant chunk of action against the Broncos this season, nor is it the only injury he's bravely battled through. Rewind a bit, and you'll recall he was already out when these two AFC West rivals met back in Week 17. And let's not forget that fractured left middle finger he sustained all the way back in Week 4 – a truly impressive feat that he played through that for so long. Plus, there was that pesky shoulder issue he also dealt with earlier in the year.

It's been a truly trying campaign for the Chargers, hasn't it? Their 5-11 record really tells a story, leading, rather inevitably, to the firing of head coach Brandon Staley mid-season. Now, with interim coach Giff Smith at the helm, they're simply playing out the string, likely with an eye firmly fixed on the upcoming draft.

On the other side, the Denver Broncos, despite some glimmers of hope mid-season, are also mathematically eliminated from the playoffs with their 7-9 record. So, while this AFC West matchup might lack the high stakes of a playoff race, it's still an NFL game. Players will be battling for pride, for future roster spots, and frankly, just to end a challenging year on a positive note, even if it's a small one. And yes, draft positioning always looms in the background for both organizations.

For Herbert, though, the immediate focus shifts entirely to recovery and looking ahead. It's certainly a bitter pill to swallow when you're a competitor like him, forced to watch from the sidelines. But after a season fraught with physical challenges and team disappointment, perhaps this forced rest, combined with a clean slate in the offseason, is precisely what he, and indeed the entire Chargers organization, needs to regroup and come back stronger.