Justin Herbert injury update: Chargers QB reenters after injury scare vs. Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert has exited the "Sunday Night Football" game against the Kansas City Chiefs with an apparent leg injury.

With about 4 1/2 minutes left in the second quarter, Herbert dropped back to throw, scrambled out of the pocket and took a hard hit from Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton. The 26-year-old gunslinger remained on the ground after the hit and received attention from the Chargers' medical personnel.

Herbert and the trainers were working on the quarterback's left leg as he laid on the ground, where he flexed his knee gingerly.

Taylor Heinicke, Los Angeles' backup quarterback, entered the game for the final play of the Chargers' drive after Herbert's injury. Easton Stick is also on the team's quarterbacks depth chart.

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Justin Herbert injury update

Herbert would exit the game and later reenter after a Chiefs offensive possession.

According to NBC's Melissa Stark, the passer chatted with the Chargers' head athletic trainer but didn't require any further evaluation or examination. He jogged around on the sideline before his team's next offensive possession and returned to the field to close out the first half.

Herbert had taken a hard hit from Bolton with fewer than five minutes to go in the first half of the Chargers' "Sunday Night Football" game against the Chiefs. He received medical attention after the hit, flexing his left leg with the assistance of Los Angeles' training staff.

Earlier in the game, Herbert got his left ankle taped after Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna grabbed it while making a tackle. The quarterback missed no time for the ankle injury.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Justin Herbert stats

Through one half on "Sunday Night Football," Herbert is 10-of-18 passing for 97 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

He's also rushed twice for nine total yards.

Chargers QB depth chart

Here's how the Chargers' quarterbacks room looks in Week 14:

• Justin Herbert

• Taylor Heinicke

• Easton Stick (emergency third QB)

The Chargers acquired Heinicke, a journeyman backup quarterback, in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons in late August. Los Angeles sent a 2025 sixth-round pick to Atlanta for the veteran.

Stick was the Chargers' fifth-round pick in 2019. He started four games last year after Herbert broke his finger late in the season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Herbert injury update: QB returns after injury scare vs. Chiefs