Game day’s here, and the excitement’s electric! But the big question on every Chargers fan’s mind: will Justin Herbert take the field against the Steelers? Drumroll, please—he’s officially active! 

NFL insider Jordan Schultz dropped the scoop on X, confirming Herbert’s active status, but the team will keep a close watch on his condition throughout the game. “#Chargers QB Justin Herbert will be active today vs the #Steelers, but the ankle injury is one that the team will monitor closely,” Schultz’s tweet read. 

This is the first time this season that Los Angeles will have three QBs active, with Easton Stick and Taylor Heinicke also ready to go. Talk about a QB carousel! 

Justin Herbert’s path to the field hasn’t been easy. After sustaining that sprain in last week’s 26-3 third-quarter blowout win against the Panthers, he missed practice on Wednesday and Friday, only getting limited work in on Thursday.

But don’t count the signal caller out! “It does seem like Justin Herbert is pushing to play and wants to play and is trying to play like crazy,” reported insider Ian Rapoport. And Chargers’ HC Jim Harbaugh chimed in, saying, “I was in a meeting with him. He said he was feeling much better today.” Sounds like Herbert’s got that fighting spirit!

Last season, he missed the final four games due to a fractured finger, so he knows the stakes. “If I step foot on the field, I want to feel comfortable and know that I’m in a safe place,” he said, clearly weighing his options. The Pro Bowl champ’s got to be smart against a ferocious Steel City defense led by T.J. Watt—taking hits ain’t on the game plan today!

Now that the stage’s set, let’s check out the Chargers’ inactive players for Week 3. 

Los Angeles Chargers Week 3 inactive players

As the Chargers prep to take on Pittsburgh, the team’s dropped some not-so-great news. WR Joshua Palmer’s out this week. He’s dealing with a double-trouble kind of a situation—knee and elbow injuries. 

LB Junior Colson is also taking a seat after being ruled out due to a hamstring injury. O-line’s Jordan McFadden joined the inactive list (who’s going to protect Justin Herbert now?) The rookie train’s still rolling, but it’s lost some steam this week. Three out of four rookies—Kimani Vidal, Tarheeb Still, and Justin Eboigbe—will be watching the action from the sidelines for the second straight week. 

Here’s the lineup of who won’t be suiting up against the Steelers:

– WR Joshua Palmer

– LB Junior Colson

– CB Tarheeb Still

– RB Kimani Vidal

– OL Jordan McFadden

– DL Justin Eboigbe

There’s a silver lining, though! Rookie Brenden Rice will be stepping on-field for his first game this season. But many key players are out already—and Los Angeles seems to be in a tough spot. How will the game shape up? Let’s hold onto that thought.