Anthony Lynn confirms Justin Herbert will start this week

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Tyrod Taylor is recovering from a punctured lung, so there hasn’t much sense that he will be starting at quarterback for the Chargers when they face the Panthers on Sunday.

Head coach Anthony Lynn ended what little suspense there may have been at his Wednesday press conference. Lynn said that first-round pick Justin Herbert will start for the second straight week. Easton Stick is the third quarterback on the roster and is the likely backup for this week.

Herbert was thrown into the lineup at the last minute last week because the Chargers team doctor punctured Taylor’s lung while trying to deliver a painkilling injection. Lynn said that Taylor was playing with cracked ribs that he suffered early in the team’s Week One win over the Bengals.

Lynn said it was “unfortunate” that Taylor’s injection did not go as planned, but added that he’s “not angry” because he knows it was not done intentionally. He also said that Taylor has been “real professional” about the situation and that injured reserve isn’t a consideration for the quarterback at this point.

Earlier this week, Lynn said Taylor would be the starter once he’s 100 percent and said on Wednesday that you don’t want to see a player lose his job this way. Whether that’s a possibility will have a lot to do with how Herbert does on Sunday and in any other starts that may come his way before Taylor is cleared to return.