Injury Report: Updates On Keenan Allen and Manti Te'o
By Dave Thomas
Riding a two-game winning streak, the San Diego Chargers look to avoid getting caught napping this Sunday when winless Jacksonville limps into town at 0-3.
After surprising the Philadelphia Eagles in the opener by taking a 17-0 halftime lead (Philadelphia came back to win the game decisively), the Jaguars have been blown out in their last two games, losses in Washington and at home versus division rival Indianapolis. Coming into their game this Sunday in San Diego, the Jags are a two-touchdown underdog.
So, could San Diego (2-1) get caught overlooking a team that is just looking to play consistent ball for four quarters and get in the win column?
If past experience is anything, the Chargers have stubbed their toes on occasion when playing teams they should dominate on paper. Not that that will happen this Sunday, but it's something to keep in mind.
Jags Just Looking For Answers
For Jacksonville, whatever promise it had coming into the season has quickly vanished due to three rather sound defeats.
Although no one was expecting the Jags to come in and compete for the AFC South title this season, hopes were that rookie quarterback Blake Bortles would push veteran Chad Henne for the starting job and perhaps start to turn this franchise around. While both have played time under center, it still is not clear if Bortles will emerge the dominant player when all is said and done this season.
Bortles, who is slated to start in San Diego this Sunday, came into the league with high praise after a solid career at Central Florida. While Henne has the experience, he has not been able to set himself up as the dominant guy in Jacksonville.
Although Jacksonville does have a few weapons at the wide receiver position, don't look for Bortles to be throwing 50 passes on Sunday. Look for the Jags to continue to try and run the ball and take time off the clock, thereby keeping Philip Rivers and company from having the ball too often.
Lastly, the local television blackout in the San Diego area was lifted, so the game will be available on KFMB (CBS 8) at 1:05 p.m.
With the Chargers looking to make it three wins straight, getting everyone health for Sunday, including starting wide receiver Keenan Allen (groin) and linebacker Manti Te'o (foot) are among the priorities heading into the game.
As Rivers and the Chargers finish their preparations for Jacksonville, they were looking at the following injuries as of Thursday's practice:
Keenan Allen (wide receiver) - groin - full practice
Jerry Attaochu (linebacker) - hamstring - did not practice
Brandon Flowers (corner) - hip - full practice
Antonio Gates (tight end) - hamstring - full practice
Marcus Gilchrist (safety) - shoulder - full practice
LaDarius Green (tight end) - hamstring - limited practice
David Johnson (tight end) - hip - did not practice
Corey Liuget (defensive end) - ankle - full practice
Ryan Mathews (running back) - knee - did not practice
Rich Ohmberger (offensive lineman) - back - did not practice
Manti Te'o (linebacker) - foot - did not practice
Jason Verrett (corner) hamstring - did not practice
Reggie Walker (linebacker) ankle - did not practice
For more Chargers news and updates, visit Chargers Central.
Dave Thomas has been covering the sports world since his first job as a sports editor for a weekly newspaper in Pennsylvania back in 1989. He has covered a Super Bowl, college bowl games, MLB, NBA and more. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
