Former NFL QB Matt Cassel on Justin Herbert's rib injury: 'There's nothing worse'

Los Angeles Chargers starting quarterback Justin Herbert took a beating during Thursday night's 27-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

After leaving the game for a play with an apparent rib injury, many feared the worst for Herbert. On Friday, head coach Brandon Staley announced that Herbert was day-to-day after suffering a "fracture to his rib cartilage."

While Staley called Herbert's diagnosis "good news," a former NFL veteran isn't so sure. 

Matt Cassel, who started 81 games over 14 NFL seasons, discussed his experience with the injury on Friday for the 33rdteam.com. 

"I haven't broken a rib but I've separated rib cartilage and there's nothing worse," Cassel said. "Everything you do as a thrower, you're using your core, you're twisting, you're trying to accelerate the ball down the field ... It took a long time for that to heal." 

Staley said they'd take the weekend and the beginning of next week to monitor Herbert, adding the team will know more on Wednesday about his status for Week 3. 

Herbert went 33-for-48 for 334 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception in the Chargers' loss to the Chiefs. Through two weeks of the 2022 NFL season, the 24-year-old boasts a 72 percent completion percentage, throwing for 613 yards, with six touchdowns and one interception.