National Football League

2023 NFL odds: How Justin Herbert's injury affects Chargers futures

Published Dec. 13, 2023 11:33 a.m. ET

The lost season for the Los Angeles Chargers took a turn for the worst Tuesday.

The Chargers (5-8) announced star quarterback Justin Herbert will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his fractured index finger on his right-throwing hand.

With that, Herbert's status sent the Chargers' odds of winning Super Bowl LVIII in February further into the toilet than they already were.

The Bolts' odds went from +9500 last week to +47000, as Los Angeles has lost four of its past five games.

The No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Herbert's streak of 62 consecutive starts will end. Easton Stick will start Thursday night on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Chargers @ Raiders (8:15 p.m. ET Thursday, Amazon Prime Video)

Point spread: Raiders -3 (Raiders favored to win by more than 3 points, otherwise Chargers cover)
Moneyline: Raiders -155 favorites to win (bet $10 to win $16.45 total); Chargers +130 underdogs to win (bet $10 to win $23 total)
Total scoring Over/Under: 33.5 points scored by both teams combined

Herbert and the Chargers were 4-8-1 against the spread (ATS) and hit the Over three times in 13 games this season.

The 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year signed a five-year extension worth $262.5 million in July.

"With four games left, the Chargers are essentially out of the playoff race. Risking Herbert's long-term health in a season without positive prospects isn't worthwhile," FOX Sports NFL writer Eric D. Williams wrote.

"With the likelihood that the Chargers will be looking for new leadership to run the team next year, the Bolts should be more concerned with getting a good evaluation of back-end players heading into the offseason and making sure Herbert is healthy for 2024."

Injured Justin Herbert falls on Nick Wright's ‘Mahomes Mountain’

Here's a look at other odds for Herbert and the Chargers:

– Los Angeles opened the season at +1150 to win the AFC and were at +1850 when they were 4-4 heading into Week 10. The Chargers now sit at +35000.

– Heading into Week 10, the Chargers had the second-shortest odds to win the AFC West at +700, behind the Kansas City Chiefs (-850). Los Angeles now has the worst odds among the four AFC West teams at +16000.

– The O/U for regular-season wins was 9.5 in early September. The latest O/U is 5.5 after Herbert's injury.

– Herbert was +1600 to win NFL MVP heading into Week 6. He fell to +8000 heading into Week 11 and was at +20000 prior to his injury.

Herbert and the Chargers struggled this season.

His passing yards per game fell from 278.8 in 2022 to 241.1 this season. His passer rating was 93.2 both seasons.

Herbert finishes the season 297-for-456 passing (65.1%) for 3,134 yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also had 52 carries for 228 yards and three TDs.

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