The Los Angeles Chargers were hoping to have wide receiver Mike Williams available for their AFC Wild Card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Saturday night. Unfortunately, that is not going to be the case as the Chargers have now ruled out the athletic Williams, per ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.
Williams suffered the injury during the Chargers Week 18 loss to the Denver Broncos. Los Angeles coach Brandon Staley has since come under fire for playing his starters in what was a meaningless game. The Chargers were already locked into the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs by the time the game kicked off.
Los Angeles was planning on giving Williams up until kickoff to see if he can play. However, he was not progressing as well as hoped during the week, which prompted new scans of his back Friday morning. The new scans revealed Williams actually suffered a transverse process fracture in his back, as NFL Network's Tom Pelissero pointed out.
That's obviously a big blow to a Chargers team that entered Week 18 the healthiest they had been all season. Joey Bosa is back on defense. Keenan Allen, who missed most of the season, returned a few weeks ago and has played extremely well. Mike Williams' presence on the other side of the field opens up the middle of the field for Allen and tight end Gerald Everett.
This type of injury is a serious matter and could be career-changing. Williams has dealt with back injuries during his career, along with many others.
The Jaguars game was already going to be difficult. After all, Jacksonville hammered the Chargers 38-10 back in Week 3. Now Los Angeles will have to make due without their most athletic weapon.
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