The Los Angeles Chargers are one of several teams in the AFC still struggling to find consistency on a week-to-week basis. In their latest outing, Justin Herbert’s squad let a big opportunity slip away in a loss to the Colts, and now they’ll need to bounce back quickly in their upcoming game.
The big news for Jim Harbaugh’s squad was the return of Khalil Mack, who had missed several games leading up to Week 7 due to an elbow injury. However, the former Bears star didn’t see action throughout the entire game.
After playing just 12 of the team’s 60 defensive snaps in the game against Indianapolis, it was only natural that media questions turned to when the linebacker expects to be back at 100% alongside the rest of the squad.
“Just trying to be as smart as possible, but I want to win,” Mack said, via Elliott Teaford of the Orange County Register. “I want to win football games. . . . I love football, I want to play first down, second down, third down, fourth down — all the downs. At this point, we’ve got to be smart about where I’m at.”
What injury did Mack have?
Los Angeles Chargers star outside linebacker Khalil Mack sustained an elbow injury in the first quarter of the team’s Week 2 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. The veteran pass rusher was taken out of the game after his arm bent back awkwardly during a tackle near the end of the first quarter. Mack was subsequently placed on injured reserve, missing the following four games due to the injury, which was reported to be a dislocated elbow.
Living on the edge
One of the statistics that worries the Los Angeles Chargers the most right now is the number of hits their star player, Justin Herbert, has taken. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, Herbert has absorbed 62 hits — the most of any quarterback in the NFL. The QB understands this is something the team must inevitably improve in the short term, although he knows his teammates are doing their best to protect him.
“Probably the really big ones. As long as you’re doing everything you can to recover after games, you’re gonna get back to your normal self. I think we’ve done a great job in the weight room being able to handle some of those hits,” he said via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.
Staying in the hunt
With the goal of staying in the NFC West race and keeping pace with the Broncos, the Chargers will host the Minnesota Vikings next Thursday at SoFi Stadium. This promises to be a high-flying Thursday Night Football showdown in the NFL.
Quarterback Justin Herbert and his teammates cannot afford another slip-up at this point in the season, as any stumble could deliver a serious blow to the team’s playoff hopes.