COSTA MESA — No Justin Herbert, no Patrick Mahomes, no ticket refunds.
Actually, there’s a good deal more to who won’t be playing Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium.
Interim coach Giff Smith all but ruled out wide receiver Keenan Allen and outside linebacker Joey Bosa for the Chargers’ season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. Allen has been sidelined by a heel injury since Dec. 10 and Bosa has been out since Nov. 19 because of a fractured foot.
“Those guys, honestly, their bodies haven’t progressed like we thought they would and they thought they would,” Smith said Wednesday. “The chances are probably slim. I’m not going to rule anybody out on a Wednesday, but it’s been a long time since they played the game, so it’ll probably be difficult.”
Additionally, Easton Stick will start in place of Herbert for the fourth and final time this season. Herbert, like Allen, was injured during the Chargers’ loss Dec. 10 to the Denver Broncos. Herbert underwent season-ending surgery on his right index finger and Stick assumed the starter’s role Dec. 14.
The Chargers were eliminated from the AFC playoff race Dec. 23.
With the Chiefs locked into the No. 3-seeded spot in the AFC, Mahomes will yield to backup Blaine Gabbert for their final regular-season game, Kansas City coach Andy Reid announced Wednesday. Reid didn’t say whether tight end Travis Kelce, among other starters, would play, however.
“Y’all have heard me say it before, there’s a scoreboard, so it’s kind of irrelevant who they’re playing,” Smith said of facing the Chiefs’ backups. “You’re playing to win. I know that Mahomes is out and they’re playing Blaine, and he’s a quality player. It’s still the Chiefs and it’s still a team that you want to beat.”
In addition to Allen and Bosa, the Chargers might also be without wide receiver Joshua Palmer, who remained in the NFL’s concussion protocol, plus defensive back Deane Leonard (heel),offensive lineman Zion Johnson (neck), linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. (shoulder) and defensive lineman Nick Williams (shoulder).
What’s more, Allen and Bosa might have played their final games for the Chargers. A new general manager to replace Tom Telesco and a new coach to replace Brandon Staley will be hired sooner rather than later and, with the Chargers also facing salary-cap issues, a roster overhaul could be in order.
Telesco and Staley were fired Dec. 15.
Smith, a longtime coach of the Chargers’ outside linebackers and defensive linemen, expressed a sense of heartache for Bosa, in particular. Smith has been with the Chargers since 2016, the same year Bosa was picked in the first round after a stellar career at Ohio State.
Bosa was limited to nine games this season because of toe, hamstring and foot injuries. He played only four snaps before he fractured his right foot during the Chargers’ loss Nov. 19 to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. He played only five games last season because of a groin injury.
“I feel for him,” Smith said of Bosa. “I know that he is frustrated. Such a gifted player and a great team guy. I know that he is extremely disappointed that, throughout the year, it has gone the way that it has. He has a lot of great football ahead of him. Hopefully, he can get back to 100 percent.”
Allen and Bosa were unavailable for comment Wednesday, but they are expected to speak Monday when the Chargers conduct exit interviews, clean out their lockers and begin a vacation that will start far earlier than any of them might have expected when training camp began in late July.