Taking a look at the final injury report for the Los Angeles Chargers as they head into the Week 4 battle against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Los Angeles Chargers have a tough task on Sunday afternoon as they go on the road to battle the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4. Heading into Sunday afternoon, the Chargers are in desperate need of a win as they sit at 0-3 and need to figure out a way to pick up a win on the road this week.
With that said, for the Chargers to be able to pick up a win, being healthy is going to play a key part in that, in particular when it comes to the starting lineup and who will be available on Sunday.
So, let's take a look at the final injury report for the Chargers as they head into the Week 4 matchup against the Seahawks on Sunday.
Starting with the players on track to play, that group has outside linebackers Khalil Mack (rest) and Bud Dupree (rest), defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe (eye), and running back Keaton Mitchell (ankle).
Overall, having Mack, Dupree, Eboigbe, and Mitchell should help the Chargers, especially when it comes to depth, but after how each of them participated in practice this week, there was not too much concern that any of these players would miss time.
Next, the players ruled out for this game include left guard Kayode Awosika (fibula), wide receiver Brennen Thompson (quadricep), and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (hamstring).
When looking at the players ruled out, it is not ideal to have Awosika and Tomlinson out because they are starters and key parts of the Chargers on the line of scrimmage, but like every team, Los Angeles will need players to step up. In particular, offensive lineman Trevor Penning will likely start at left guard again in place of Awosika, and for Tomlinson, defensive linemen Jamaree Cardwell and Justin Eboigbe will likely step into larger roles.
Additionally, it is unfortunate that Thompson is out, however, the Chargers do have players who can step up on the perimeter to help provide great options for quarterback Justin Herbert.
The final group on the injury report includes players who are questionable, and that group is wide receiver Ladd McConkey (foot), safety Derwin James Jr. (hamstring/rest), cornerback Donte Jackson (concussion), defensive back Elijah Molden (hamstring), and quarterback Trey Lance (groin).
With the players questionable, the key players to focus on are McConkey, James, Jackson, and Molden, as they will all have key roles this week.
McConkey will be key in the passing attack on offense as Herbert needs reliable targets, and if McConkey can play, that would help Herbert out a lot, with McConkey being one of the best weapons on this team.
When it comes to James, Jackson, and Molden, they all have a very similar role in that shutting down Seahawks star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is going to be a major part of this game and the communication each of them provide is critical as well as the solid coverage.
It will be important to monitor Lance, as well as whether Herbert gets injured or needs to come out, the Chargers need a viable option as the backup quarterback. If Lance is active, then Los Angeles is in a good spot, but if not, they will very likely elevate quarterback DJ Uiagalelei from the practice squad.
So, overall, the Chargers are in a decent spot when it comes to injuries, but it will be interesting to monitor the status of McConkey, James, Jackson, Molden, and Lance to see if they can make a key impact on this game and possibly get Los Angeles back in the win column for their first win of the season.
