Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers are looking to make the first deep, sustained playoff run of Herbert’s career this season. To that end, the Chargers got off to a great start, winning their first three games of the campaign.
Los Angeles suffered its first loss of the season on Sunday to the New York Giants, and unfortunately, there’s more bad news on top of that. Star left tackle Joe Alt, who Herbert is dependent to protect his blindside, left the game with an injury.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on the injury on Monday morning.
“Chargers LT Joe Alt, who was carted off, had X-Rays that were negative, source says. The initial diagnosis was a high-ankle sprain, but he’ll have an MRI to confirm.”
Rapoport followed up after Alt’s MRI.
“The MRI has confirmed that it’s a high-ankle sprain for Joe Alt, sources say. He’ll seek various opinions to determine how long he’s out. But expected to be several weeks.”
Fans reacted to the news on social media.
“Good thing we started 3-1, but as long as he’s back by week 11ish we should still be fine for the playoffs,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“Hopefully Alt is back by week 8 for MINNESOTA vs Flores cuz if not thats gonna be a very dangerous game for Justin to play QB,” someone else added.
“At least it’s not season ending,” one fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Chargers plan is to keep Herbert safe in the pocket until Alt is cleared to return.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.