When the Los Angeles Chargers travel to Acrisure Stadium to face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, the biggest question ahead of kickoff will be who is playing quarterback for the Chargers.
Justin Herbert is dealing with a high ankle sprain and though he is one of the toughest guys in the league and will make every effort to play in this game, how effective will he be if he does?
Against a tough Pittsburgh defense, that question needs to be strongly considered and it puts Jim Harbaugh in a tough spot, but it's one with only one answer. If Herbert can't go, Harbaugh must choose Taylor Heinicke over Easton Stick.
Jim Harbaugh said Herbert is doing everything he can to get ready to play Sunday.
— Eric Smith (@Eric_L_Smith) September 20, 2024
Harbaugh added he has “a lot of faith” in both Easton Stick and Taylor Heinicke but wouldn’t reveal who would start if Herbert can’t go. https://t.co/YmdsXzZNSJ
When the Chargers learned of a plantar fascia injury to Herbert during the preseason, the team managed the exhibition campaign with several other quarterbacks but Stick did not stand out above them. Instead, even Luis Perez, who was brought in from the UFL, played better than him.
After a poor preseason, the Chargers sent a sixth-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for Heinicke, one of the better and more experienced backup quarterbacks in the league.
In the first two games of this season, Stick has been the No. 2 guy and Heinicke has been a gameday inactive. That hasn't made much sense, but you can go with the whole Heinicke needing to learn the playbook reasoning. However, in a big game that could mean a lot in the grand scheme of things, that order needs to flip.
Stick should not be considered for anything beyond an emergency backup.
Easton Stick 2024 preseason stats
| Completions | Attempts | Completion % | Passing Yards | TDs | INTs | QB Rating | |
| 25 | 55 | 45.4 | 303 | 1 | 3 | 46.3 |
Stick does offer something with his mobility. His familiarity with the team is also a plus, but the fact that he didn't even complete half of his passes during the preseason when he was going up against backups and third-string players is troubling.
Heinicke, on the other hand, brings a lot of experience as a backup where he has found success.
Taylor Heinicke's career stats
| Completions | Attempts | Completion % | Passing Yards | TDs | INTs | QB Rating |
| 604 | 966 | 62.5 | 6,635 | 39 | 28 | 84.2 |
Heinicke has made 29 NFL starts and one start in the postseason when he was a member of the Washington Commanders. He has won 13 of those games and statistics show that he is a much better option than Stick.
The Chargers knew that Herbert could miss some games this season and that is why they traded for Heinicke after watching how Stick performed this preseason. It makes no sense at all to go back on that.
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