As if an 0-2 start to the season isn’t bad enough for Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers, they’ll need to start a backup offensive lineman against the Buffalo Bills this Sunday.
It was confirmed this week that offensive lineman Trey Pipkins III is out with a knee injury. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh has decided that former first-round pick Trevor Penning will start at left guard during Pipkins’ absence.
Shortly after the Chargers announced this change to their starting lineup, NFL fans ran over to social media to share their initial thoughts. Most of them are worried Penning will get Herbert injured this Sunday.
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“Prayers for Herbert on Sunday,” one fan wrote on X.
“From Saints fans….we send our condolences,” a second fan replied to the news.
“Herbert is going to retire at the end of this season at this rate,” another fan commented.
“Tune in at 12pm Central, 1pm eastern on FOX to witness the public takedown of Justin Herbert,” a social media user sarcastically wrote.
Season at stake for the Chargers?
The Chargers have received plenty of backlash for their 0-2 start this season, but Herbert claims the locker room has the right mindset heading into Sunday’s showdown with the Bills.
“We’ve got great leadership on this team. I trust those guys in that locker room, so I don’t think anyone has panicked or worried because that’s not going to do us any good,” Herbert told reporters, via the Los Angeles Times. “It’s [about] moving on to the next play and understanding we’re close, we made mistakes, how do we fix it and how do we move on?”
If the Chargers want to avoid feeling like the season is lost before October arrives, they’ll need to upset Josh Allen and the Bills this weekend.
Kickoff for the Chargers-Bills game is at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
