Key Players Will Watch The Chargers From the Sidelines On Sunday
By Danny Cox
The San Diego Chargers are hoping of holding onto some small shred of a chance to make this year's playoffs, but it really isn't looking so good for them. With the Baltimore Ravens coming to town, that small shred appears to be getting even smaller. As the final injury report is now out for this week's game, the even smaller shred seems almost minuscule.
Defensive tackle Aubrayo Franklin is suffering from an injured knee that he has been battling for a few weeks now. He has been listed as "questionable" for a while, and didn't end up playing this past week against the Denver Broncos, where he was certainly needed.
Franklin is listed as "questionable" yet again this week, and has a small chance of playing after limited participation in practice the past couple days.
Tight end Dante Rosario has a hamstring issue and also did not play last week against the Broncos, and that limited the targets for Philip Rivers to look at. Rosario did not participate in practice at all on Wednesday which means his chances of stepping on the field this week aren't so good.
Making matters worse offensively for the Chargers is that wide receiver Eddie Royal is definitely out with a hamstring issue. Rivers does not need one more thing to worry about on offense, and unfortunately he's got one. Royal's hamstring issues developed within the last two weeks and simply haven't improved enough to get him back on the field.
The offensive line of the San Diego Chargers has been a MASH unit this season, and Rivers needs all the help he can get. Losing a primary target like the speedy Royal is a huge blow.
Oh, and let's not forget to mention that veteran offensive tackle Jared Gaither has now been officially placed on injured reserve. There goes any chance of him playing again this season and protecting Rivers in a much more quality manner.
Offensive guard Tyronne Greene will also likely not be on the field to take on the Ravens due to a hamstring problem. That just goes and makes the Chargers' offensive line even weaker and a bigger target of attack for Baltimore and their strong defense.
Luckily for San Diego, Atari Bigby's shoulder issue was not as big a deal as some of these other injuries. The talented safety fully participated in practice most of the week and will be out there to try and stop Joe Flacco and the explosive offensive attack of the Ravens.
Another good piece of news is that Mike Scifres' injured ankle isn't very serious either. The extraordinary punter will be ready by Sunday, and that is good news because the Chargers will need his big leg to give them any extra advantage they can get.
All the team can do now is play with everything they've got in the healthy bodies still around, and hope that no other injuries come to light.
Probable:
- S Atari Bigby (shoulder)
- OG Louis Vasquez (ankle)
- P Mike Scifres (ankle)
Questionable:
- DT Aubrayo Franklin (knee)
Doubtful:
- TE Dante Rosario (hamstring)
- OG Tyronne Greene (hamstring)
Out:
- WR Eddie Royal (hamstring)
- LB Larry English (calf)
Injured Reserve:
- OT Jared Gaither (groin)
Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
