Who Should I Start? Justin Herbert or Michael Penix Jr.

Thursday, August 21, 6:51 PM

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said that quarterback Justin Herbert and the rest of the starters will not play in the preseason finale on Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers. Backup QB Trey Lance will get the start under center and will play one to two series. Taylor Heinicke will come in after Lance, followed by DJ Uiagalelei, who will play the rest of the game. Lance and Heinicke are competing for the No. 2 job this summer, although it's unclear if Lance has the leg up based on the fact that he's making the start in the preseason finale. Neither Lance nor Heinicke figure to be on the field much behind Herbert, who has been one of the toughest QBs in the league since entering the NFL in 2020. Herbert missed four games due to injury in 2023 but has started all 79 of the games he's appeared in over the last five seasons.

Tuesday, August 12, 10:08 AM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will not play in the team's second preseason game on Friday, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi. Backup quarterback Kirk Cousins is also unlikely to play, although it has not been completely ruled out by the team. Neither Penix Jr. nor Cousins played in Atlanta's first preseason game against the Detroit Lions last Friday, leaving Easton Stick and Emory Jones to handle signal-calling duties. Penix Jr. has a long injury history dating back to his time in college, so it makes sense why the team would want to be cautious with him in the preseason despite his limited NFL experience as a starter (three games).