Chargers Make Decision on Playing Justin Herbert vs. Broncos

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert will not play in Sunday's regular-season finale against the 13-3 Denver Broncos, head coach Jim Harbaugh announced.

Harbaugh also revealed that the players with "the most bruises and need the most healing" — Herbert included — won't suit up at Empower Field with 11-5 Los Angeles already locked into a Wild Card spot.

"Winning and being healthy, those are our two objectives," Harbaugh told reporters Monday, via the official team website. "Guys that we think, the doctors, trainers, myself, the organization, that have the most bruises and need that time the most, we've decided that's the direction we're going."

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Herbert completed 66.4 percent of his passes this regular season for 3,727 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. The now-two-time Pro Bowl selection went 28-of-47 for 300 yards, one TD, and an INT in a Week 3 victory over Denver. He's 3-0 in his last three matchups versus the Broncos.

“He’s a special athlete. He’s playing at a high level right now. He’s probably the MVP right now after two games," defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said in September. "He is accurate. He’s obviously a big man, so he can see over the pressure. He’s escaping on major downs, second-and-long and third downs, keeps drives alive. So how we rush this guy is going to be key. How we cover the receiving targets and make him throw the ball is also going to be key. It’s a combination of rush and coverage to contain this quarterback. It’s a run first offense. The balancing act between stopping the run and defending the pass is going to be critical.”

With Herbert inactive, the Chargers are expected to start former first-round backup QB Trey Lance, who's thrown for 90 scoreless yards across three appearances this year.

JH vs Broncos — Sep 21, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is pressured by Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton (49) in the second half SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Homeward Bound?

While the Chargers don't have much to play for, the Broncos have a massive prize on the line Sunday: the AFC's No. 1 seed, which would award them a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the postseason.

Denver can officially clinch the seed by defeating the Chargers. And to say it's of importance to Payton would be a grave understatement.

“Historically speaking, it’s extremely important," he explained to the media on Monday. "Every study would show you... And there is a number of reasons for that. These games are three hours long. The first reason would be, you skip a game in which you’re at risk to not play well or an opponent all of a sudden has a great game. You skip the threat of potentially losing a game, if that makes any sense. You skip right to the next round. To be able to play in front of our fans with the crowd noise, the atmosphere. I don’t know, it’s been a while since they’ve hosted a playoff game. Certainly it’s a fan base that deserves that opportunity. I get excited for them, and I get excited for our team. Man, all of it is important. Having been through this like nine, 10 other times, you’ve seen it all and you recognize how important it is: The challenge of winning playoff games on the road and how much more difficult that it is as opposed to trying to win them at home.”