Major injuries threatening to derail Los Angeles Chargers' promising start

Travis Wakeman

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Major injuries threatening to derail Los Angeles Chargers' promising start image

The Los Angeles Chargers looked terrific in getting out to a 2-0 start this season, good enough to be ranked sixth in a recent edition of power rankings. They were winning with Jim Harbaugh football, running the ball well and playing stingy defense. 

It's winning ugly but winning is what matters. However, when things go bad, they can really go bad. Matched up against a team that wins with a similar style on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chargers saw how ugly things can get when that style of football does not work. 

The Steelers beat the Chargers 20-10, handing them their first loss of the season, but the bigger concern is the injuries that are piling up for this team at key spots. 

During the preseason, Justin Herbert, Joey Bosa and Rashawn Slater, three of the most important players on the team, dealt with injury concerns. All of that spilled into the regular season on Sunday. 

All three of those players left on Sunday and first-round pick Joe Alt was injured too. The Chargers have the Kansas City Chiefs coming up next and could be without several of those players. 

Herbert came into the game with a high ankle sprain (after dealing with plantar fasciitis in the preseason) and probably should not have played in this game. He took a big hit in the third quarter nad had to limp off the field. Taylor Heinicke, who the Chargers traded for following the preseason, came on in relief but the team seemed to have no chance with its leader out. 

 

These are injuries this team simply can't afford. Harbaugh will have to be smart and calculated with how he decides to rest each of these players as it relates to the long-term success of this season. 

Injury updates for all four of these players will be critical to follow as the team prepares to face the AFC West champion Chiefs next Sunday. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.