Justin Herbert returned to practice with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday after recovering from a foot injury, leaving head coach Jim Harbaugh delighted.

Herbert was diagnosed with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot on July 31 and has been wearing a protective boot for the last three weeks.

The Chargers remained hopeful of having Herbert available for their Week 1 clash with the Las Vegas Raiders on September 8, and the prospect of him starting Harbaugh's first game at the helm looks increasingly likely after he returned to the practice field.

Herbert did not participate in full team work on Monday but played plenty of snaps as Harbaugh put his players through seven-on-seven drills.

Asked by reporters how it felt to see Herbert return, Harbaugh – who left the University of Michigan to take the Chargers job in January – said: "It felt great.

"It felt like music should be playing, I thought I heard music, the voices of angels maybe. It felt great.

"He looked great with a capital G. No drop-off, pinpoint accuracy. He looked really good."

Herbert only missed two games through his first three seasons after being drafted sixth overall by the Chargers in 2020, but sat out the final four weeks of the 2023 season.

He broke the index finger on his throwing hand in Week 14 against the Denver Broncos, with the subsequent surgery ending his campaign.

Herbert completed 297 of 456 attempted passes (65.1%) and threw for 20 touchdowns in 2023. That latter figure was the lowest of his career, having thrown for 21 scores in 2020, 38 in 2021 and 25 in 2022.

Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley is expecting backup quarterback Easton Stick to prove his worth after Justin Herbert was ruled out for the season, describing the 28-year-old as a winner. 

The Chargers will play the rest of the season without their franchise quarterback after Herbert underwent surgery to repair a fracture to his right index finger on Tuesday.

Herbert sustained the injury during the first half of the Chargers' 24-7 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, with Stick coming in to throw 13-of-24 for 179 yards but no touchdowns.

Stick had only played two snaps in five seasons in the NFL before replacing Herbert, who has started 62 of the team's 63 games since being drafted sixth overall in 2020.

He will suit up for the 5-8 Chargers when they go on the road to face the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, and Staley is backing his team to adapt.

"When you lose any player of that calibre, it's tough," Staley said on Tuesday. "But that's why you have a team, to be able to support that position and put a good plan together moving forward.

"One of the reasons why I was so excited to team up with [offensive coordinator] Kellen [Moore] was the work that he did with Cooper Rush. Dak Prescott went down and the Cowboys went on a really good run with Rush as their backup quarterback. 

"The way that they had to play with Rush was different than the way that they were playing with Dak, but that's what you have to do, you have to make adjustments. 

"Then, the rest of your team has to come alive and you have to play the game the way that it needs to be played in order to win. That's what we're going to try and do on Thursday."

Staley took plenty of positives from Stick's first meaningful taste of NFL action, adding: "I thought that there was a lot to build off from that last game. 

"I think the way he played in that second half does give us confidence going into this game. He is a winner. You look at his track record at North Dakota State, all he has ever done is win. 

"He knows how to run a team, lead a team. He has been great for our team since I've been here. We're excited for him.

"He's a commander out there. People believe in him because of how hard he works. Since I've been here, him and Justin have set a very high bar for everybody else, in terms of how to work.

"I think he has gotten better every single year and I think that his team-mates have seen that. He has improved every year as a quarterback. Now, he gets to show what he can do."

Herbert finishes his season with a 93.2 QB rating – the same as he registered in 2022 – but his average passing yards per game dropped from 278.8 – the third-best in the NFL last season – to 241.1, putting him 13th.

Star quarterback Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers have reached agreement on a massive five-year, $262.5 million contract extension, according to multiple sources.

The deal makes Herbert the highest paid quarterback in the league by average salary per year and total money, just slightly surpassing the extension Lamar Jackson signed with the Baltimore Ravens in April.

Herbert, 25, will be entering his fourth NFL season since the Chargers selected him sixth overall in the 2020 draft out of Oregon. He had two years remaining on his rookie contract, which was to pay him roughly $8.5 million this season and $29.5 million on his fifth-year option contract in 2024.

The new deal locks Herbert in with the Chargers through the 2029 season.

He passed for 4,739 yards and 25 touchdowns with 10 interceptions last season while helping Los Angeles to a 10-7 record and their first playoff appearance since 2018.

Herbert had his best season in 2021, when he threw for 5,014 yards with 38 touchdowns and 15 picks.

His 1,316 completions are the most through a player’s first three seasons and his 64 Total QBR is ranked fourth best in the NFL since his 2020 rookie season.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the first wide receiver off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft, getting the chance to join a formidable group at the position with the Seattle Seahawks and prompting on a run on picks at the position.

Five wide receivers had gone in the top 10 over the course of the previous two drafts, but it wasn't until pick number 20 that the Seahawks finally selected Smith-Njigba.

He links up with a receiver group that already features two Pro Bowlers in D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, giving more ammunition to quarterback Geno Smith.

Smith-Njigba missed all but three games for Ohio State last season owing to a hamstring injury.

However, he was outstanding in 2021, racking up 1,606 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, his success coming in large part through his tremendously smooth route-running, excellent ball tracking skills and elusiveness after the catch.

The Seahawks, who earlier took cornerback Devon Witherspoon fifth overall, will look for Smith-Njigba to help lift them to the top of the NFC West. Seattle reached the playoffs last season with a 9-8 record, finishing second in their division to the San Francisco 49ers, whom they lost to in the Wild Card round.

Another wide receiver went with the next pick after Smith-Njigba as the Los Angeles Chargers selected TCU star Quentin Johnston and the run continued as the Baltimore Ravens took Zay Flowers from Boston College on the day that saw them finally agree to terms on a new deal with former MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson.

USC's Jordan Addison, maligned by many because of his 5ft 11in and 178-pound frame, was the next to go off the board as the Minnesota Vikings put those concerns to one side, betting on his route-running prowess and yards after catch upside.

Renaldo Hill is leaving the Los Angeles Chargers to join the Miami Dolphins, reuniting him with new Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

Fangio confirmed the move on Monday at his introductory press conference.

Hill served as defensive coordinator for the Chargers the past two seasons and will now coach the Dolphins’ secondary and be their defensive pass-game coordinator.

In terms of job title, the move to Miami would be deemed a step down on the coaching hierarchy, but Hill gets to once again work with Fangio, who is widely considered one of the best defensive coaches in the NFL.

Hill worked as a defensive backs coach for the Denver Broncos in 2019 and '20 when Fangio was their head coach.

Fangio was hired as the Dolphins defensive coordinator last week.

The 44-year-old Hill was a defensive back in the NFL for 10 seasons – including three for the Dolphins from 2006-08. He also spent one season on the Miami coaching staff, serving as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2018.

The Chargers made slight improvements under Hill during his two years running the defense, moving from 23rd in total defense in 2021 (360.1 total yards per game) to 20th in total defense last season (346.1 total yards per game).

With Hill moving to Miami, the Chargers are promoting defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley to defensive coordinator.

The 41-year-old Ansley had been the Chargers defensive backs coach the past two seasons after serving as the defensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee at the collegiate level the previous two years.

Kellen Moore did not stay unemployed for long.

Less than 24 hours after Moore and the Dallas Cowboys agreed to part ways, the 34-year-old reportedly agreed on Monday to join the Los Angeles Chargers to run their offence.

The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Moore, who had served as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator since 2019, is expected to take over for the recently fired Joe Lombardi.

Under Lombardi, the Chargers were ranked 13th in scoring offence (23.0 points per game) and ninth in total offence (359.3 yards per game) this season and finished 10-7 to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

The team suffered a massive collapse in the playoffs, however, blowing a 20-point half-time lead while gaining just 84 second-half yards in suffering a 31-30 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card round, leading to Lombardi's firing.

Similarly, Moore's time with the Cowboys ended after Dallas struggled offensively in a playoff clunker, managing just 282 total yards and one touchdown in a 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in their Divisional round game.

That showing came a week after the Cowboys racked up 425 total yards in their 31-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round and after they finished the 2022 regular season ranked fourth in the NFL in scoring (27.5 points per game) and 11th in total offense (354.9 yards per game).

Since Moore took over Dallas' offence four years ago, the Cowboys led the NFL in total yards in 2019 and 2021 and also had the league's top-ranked scoring offense last season at 31.2 points per game.

In Los Angeles, Moore will direct an offence led by one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL in Justin Herbert.

The 24-year-old, who just completed his third pro season, finished second in the NFL in passing in 2022 with 4,739 yards to go with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley was never concerned about losing his job even after his team's historic collapse in a playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday.

Asked during Wednesday's season-ending news conference if he ever felt his job was in danger, Staley responded bluntly: "No."

While the Chargers are keeping Staley on the job, they did fire offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Shane Day on Tuesday.

"I have a lot of confidence in how we do things here and what we've been able to accomplish and that's the truth," Staley said.

"Everybody that's been around me on a day-to-day basis knows that. I am aware of the speculation … but I was not worried about that because I know what goes on here on a day-to-day basis. I know what we have in our locker room. I know what's out on that field and I'm excited to keep going."

Staley guided the Chargers to a 10-7 record this season and their first playoff berth since 2018. He is 19-15 in two seasons as head coach.

Former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton is rumoured to be ready to get back into coaching and the Chargers would've been considered a prime landing spot with quarterback Justin Herbert emerging as a top player at the position.

Payton has already met with the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans and will soon meet with the Carolina Panthers, according to reports.

Despite Staley's success, he received criticism after he decided to play starters in the regular-season finale despite having already clinched the No. 5 seed right before kick-off. Star receiver Mike Williams suffered a back injury in that game that forced him to miss the playoff loss to Jacksonville.

That decision was only made worse when the Chargers blew a 27-0 lead to the Jaguars in a 31-30 loss that kept Los Angeles without a playoff victory since 2018.

Staley was asked if Jaguars coach Doug Pederson outcoached him.

"I wouldn't say that was the case for a half," he said. "That team that we were playing showed a lot of fight, a lot of resilience. I thought it was a high-quality game against two teams that are both young and hungry. I thought it was just a high-level game all around."

The Los Angeles Chargers have fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and quarterbacks coach Shane Day following their dismal playoff defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Pressure had been building on underperforming Chargers coach Brandon Staley even before he oversaw a 27-point collapse in a stunning Wild Card loss on Saturday.

Lombardi and Day, who came in alongside Staley in 2021, have paid the price for that early exit, the team announced on Tuesday.

Led by Justin Herbert, the Chargers should have the talent to be a contender in the AFC, but the third-year quarterback is yet to win a playoff game.

Indeed, the Jaguars clash represented Herbert's postseason debut, and he looked to be on course for an impressive win after racing into a 27-0 lead.

But the Chargers added just three points in the second half as they lost 31-30, undone as so often by their subpar run game, which yielded only 20 yards and a single first down from eight carries after halftime.

That makes for an obvious area for improvement under the next OC, who will surely relish the opportunity to work with Herbert.

Former NFL Draft number one pick Trevor Lawrence says "you couldn’t write a crazier script" after overcoming four first-half interceptions to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars to the third biggest comeback in NFL playoffs history.

The Jags trailed the Los Angeles Chargers 27-0 late in the first half with Lawrence having thrown four picks, three to Asante Samuel Jr alone.

But the 23-year-old quarterback produced a champion's response, throwing touchdown passes on four consecutive drives to drag the Jags back to 30-28, before Riley Patterson's field goal clinched victory as time expired.

Lawrence finished the game with 28-of-47 passing for 288 yards, joining Ben Roethlisberger as the second player to have four touchdowns and four interceptions in a playoff game.

"You couldn't write a crazier script," Lawrence told NBC. "We said in the locker room, it's kind of how our season's gone. We're never out of the fight."

Jacksonville had trailed by nine points or more in five games this season before rallying for victory.

The 27-point rally was also the third largest in NFL postseason history, the largest being the Buffalo Bills' 32-point comeback against the Houston Oilers in 1992.

"I am kind of speechless, honestly, just to see what belief can do - to see when a team believes in each other what you can accomplish," Lawrence said.

"Playoff game, down 27-0 and we come back and win. We are always counted out of these games, and we don't care. We love it."

Wide receiver Zay Jones, who scored one of the Jags' four TDs, hailed the 2021 NFL Draft top overall pick for staying composed after his four first-half picks.

"I think from playing football, watching football, I know a lot of quarterbacks would’ve folded in that situation that he went through," Jones told reporters.

"For him just to be as poised and composed as he was, it showed another side of who we have on this team. I mean, that guy right there, standing right there, that's a special man."

The defeat ended the Chargers' season with head coach Brandon Staley lamenting their second-half fade where they only scored one field goal after leading 27-7 at halftime.

"Anytime you're up 27-7 at halftime and you've got four takeaways, and you end up winning the takeaway margin (5-0), you know, it's gonna be a killer," Staley said.

"I'm hurting for everybody in that locker room… We just didn't finish the game."

Trevor Lawrence threw four interceptions in the first half of his playoff debut before spearheading the third biggest comeback in NFL postseason history as the Jacksonville Jaguars triumphed 31-30 over the Los Angeles Chargers in Saturday's AFC Wild Card Game.

The Jags, competing in the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season, were left stunned in the first half with the TIAA Bank Field crowd silenced, trailing 27-0 after a Chargers' defensive and offensive masterclass.

Lawrence responded to his disastrous start with four touchdown passes, including two in a rousing third-quarter rally, before Riley Patterson's last-second 36-yard field goal to clinch the win.

The Jags QB became the second player in NFL history to have four TD passes and four interceptions in a playoff game, behind Pittsburgh Steelers' QB Ben Roethlisberger in 2020 against the Cleveland Browns.

Regular season leading touchdown scorer Austin Ekeler ran in two TDs, while Justin Herbert connected with Gerald Everett on a TD pass before the home side had even hit the scoreboard.

Asante Samuel Jr, who had two interceptions all season, claimed three in the first half, while the Jags gave up another first-half turnover when Chris Claybrooks muffed a catch from J.K. Scott's punt. Jacksonville became the first team with five turnovers in the first half of postseason game since 1999.

But Lawrence, who completed only 10-of-24 passes for 77 yards in the first half, linked up with Evan Engram (93 yards on seven receptions), Marvin Jones Jr (29 yards on three receptions), Zay Jones (74 yards on eight receptions) and Christian Kirk (78 yards on eight receptions) for TDs, finishing the game on 28-of-47 passing for 288 yards. Lawrence also completed a reach-over two-point play to make it 30-28.

The Jags still trailed 30-28 at the two-minute warning with possession, before Travis Etienne Jr's 25-yard on fourth-and-1 set up Patterson's chip shot with three seconds remaining.

The Los Angeles Chargers have suffered a painful loss on the eve of the playoffs as wide receiver Mike Williams was ruled out for two to three weeks.

Williams suffered a nonsurgical fracture in his back during the Chargers' Week 18 game against the Denver Broncos.

It was a game that had no playoff implications as the Chargers had already locked up their spot, and by playing his starters, head coach Brandon Staley drew criticism about what could have been an avoidable injury.

Responding to that criticism, Staley said he does not look at the situation that way.

"It's difficult to decide who plays and who doesn't and who is more valuable than the rest," he said. 

"What you are trying to do is set a standard for your program about how you do things. That is what I believe in, and I didn't want anybody to get hurt in [the game], regardless of their status, because everybody is important."

Williams has caught 63 passes for a team-high 895 yards this season, with a four-game absence due to a high-ankle sprain the only thing stopping him from eclipsing 1000 yards for the third time in four years.

The Chargers will go into Saturday's Wild Card contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars with Keenan Allen and Joshua Palmer starting out wide.

It's time for the Wild Card round on the road to Super Bowl LVII.

Things kick-off on Saturday when the in-form San Francisco 49ers welcome the Seattle Seahawks to Levi's Stadium, while the Los Angeles Chargers travel to Florida to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.

A trio of games on Sunday see the Buffalo Bills host the Miami Dolphins, the Minnesota Vikings facing the New York Giants and the Cincinnati Bengals going up against the Baltimore Ravens, before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys bring the round to a close on Monday.

Stats Perform has taken a look at the more pertinent stats heading into what should be another exciting three days of NFL action as the playoffs begin.

Seattle Seahawks (9-8) @ San Francisco 49ers (13-4)

This will be just the second playoff game ever between the Seahawks and 49ers (Seattle won the other in the 2013 NFC Championship Game).

The 49ers are on a 10-game winning streak, the 13th team in the Super Bowl era to enter the postseason on a double-digit winning streak. The previous 12 teams to do so were 7-5 in their first playoff game that season.

San Francisco won both regular season meetings but have never beaten a single team three times in one campaign (including playoffs).

Geno Smith led the NFL in completion percentage this season, becoming just the second Seahawk ever do so after Dave Krieg in 1991. With 30 touchdown passes, Smith became the third Seahawk to lead the NFC in that category, joining Matt Hasselbeck (2005) and Russell Wilson (2017 and 2018).

Christian McCaffrey has scored an offensive touchdown in each of his last six games, tied for the second-longest streak in the NFL this season. The last Niner to have a longer streak (including the playoffs) was Terrell Owens in 1998 (nine).

Miami Dolphins (9-8) @ Buffalo Bills (13-3)

The Dolphins have lost their last four games in the postseason, scoring just 24 points over those games. Only one team has scored fewer points over a four-game span in the playoffs in postseason history, the Giants from 1939 to 1944 (16 points).

Miami's hopes of improving on that poor record were reduced when starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) was ruled out of this playoff contest.

But they still have Tyreek Hill, who caught 119 passes for 1,710 yards this season – both career highs. No Dolphin had ever had more than 1,400 receiving yards in one season, with the next closest being Mark Clayton in 1984 with 1,389 receiving yards.

For the Bills, Josh Allen has thrown one interception in 228 career passing attempts in the postseason, the lowest rate in NFL playoff history.

This season, the Dolphins' offense led the league, averaging 6.85 yards on first down plays, while the Bills were third (6.13). The teams were close on defense on first down plays as well, with the Dolphins 14th (5.27 yards allowed per play) and the Bills 15th (5.39).

New York Giants (9-7-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (13-4)

This is the Vikings' 31st playoff appearance, currently tied with the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz for the most by any MLB/NBA/NFL/NHL team that has never won a championship.

Kirk Cousins finished with 25 or more TD passes and fewer than 15 interceptions for the eighth straight season. The only other QB in NFL history to have a streak as long is Tom Brady (10 straight, 2009-18).

The Giants are 8-2 in playoff games since the start of the 2007 season, the best record by any NFL team in that time. Four of the Giants' 16 previous playoff appearances in the Super Bowl era have ended in a Super Bowl victory (25.0 per cent), the highest percentage for any team.

Earlier this season, Daniel Jones became the second QB in NFL history to have 3000+ passing yards, 500+ rushing yards and no more than five interceptions in a season, along with Robert Griffin III in his 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign.

Elsewhere...

This will be the Chargers' first playoff appearance since 2018, when they beat Baltimore before falling to New England. The Chargers have won at least one playoff game in four of their last five appearances. They are also 3-0 against AFC South teams in the playoffs since the division was created in 2002.

The Bengals have won eight consecutive games, which is tied for the longest win streak in team history. The Bengals are the only current NFL team without at least one winning streak of at least nine games in their franchise history (regular season and playoffs).

Buccaneers star Tom Brady has thrown for 13,049 yards in his playoff career, nearly 4,000 more than the combined career total for the other 13 projected playoff starting quarterbacks this season (9,184 combined passing yards).

Wide receiver Mike Williams has been listed as questionable by the Los Angeles Chargers due to a back injury for their AFC Wild Card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday.

Williams left Sunday's 31-28 loss to the Denver Broncos with back spasms, though initial X-rays were negative, offering hope the problem would not impact his participation against the Jags.

The 28-year-old has not practiced all week, although head coach Brandon Staley said Williams needed time off, having had chronic back issues for years.

"He's progressing, getting treatment," Staley told reporters. "Just trying to get him as much rest as possible because of the short time frame of the week.

"We're at the point of the season where the reps aren't what matters – the rest is – in his case. Just trying to get him as much rest up until game time."

Under-fire Staley was criticised for not resting key players against the Broncos, given they were locked into the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs ahead of the game.

"I stand behind what we did in that football game," Staley added on Thursday. "I didn't want anybody to get hurt in that game regardless of their status."

Williams has 63 receptions for a team-high 895 yards with four touchdowns this season.

Brandon Staley defended his decision to play his starters in the Los Angeles Chargers' Week 18 game with the Denver Broncos, insisting they managed their roster "to the best of their ability" despite wide receiver Mike Williams suffering a back injury.

Following the Baltimore Ravens' loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Chargers were locked into the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs ahead of the meeting with the Broncos.

Yet Staley kept quarterback Justin Herbert in the game until the fourth quarter as the Chargers' starters played the majority of a meaningless contest, which they lost 31-28.

Williams left the game with back spasms, though initial X-rays were negative, offering hope the problem will not impact his participation in Saturday's Wild Card round game with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But Staley rejected criticism of how he managed the game, saying: "There's only 48 guys that you can choose from and these aren't easy decisions. 

"Hindsight is perfect for everybody on the outside, but these games are not easy to manage.

"They're not, because you don't have that many players. We did it to the best of our ability.

"We were trying to compete in the game and we only have 48 guys on the team that are active for the game.

"So we wanted to make sure that they went a good ways in this football game and competed at a high level and then when we felt like it was right for them to get out of the game, then that's what we were going to do, slowly phase them out so that we could get ready for next week."

The San Francisco 49ers will host the Seattle Seahawks in the opening game of the Wild Card round.

San Francisco progressed to the postseason as the NFC second seed, and have home field advantage in the first game of this season's playoffs, which will take place on Saturday.

The Seahawks defeated the Los Angeles Rams in overtime in their final regular-season game and were subsequently handed a favour by the Detroit Lions, who eliminated the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers from playoff contention.

In Saturday's second game, the Los Angeles Chargers travel to Florida to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, who clinched the AFC South title with a 20-16 win over the Tennessee Titans.

A day later, the Buffalo Bills, who beat the New England Patriots in an emotional game on Sunday, will host the Miami Dolphins.

The Cincinnati Bengals, whose January 2 game against the Bills was suspended and subsequently cancelled altogether following Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest, go up against the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday's final game, after the New York Giants have taken on the Minnesota Vikings.

The Wild Card round concludes with the Dallas Cowboys' trip to face Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.