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The Los Angeles Chargers bounced back in a major way over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon with a convincing 45-10 win at home to put them back on track to be squarely in the mix for the playoffs.
However, this came with a bit of a cost with Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon suffering an MCL sprain that is expected to keep him out of the mix for the next few weeks, according to Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network.
#Chargers star RB Melvin Gordon was diagnosed with a grade 2 MCL sprain suffered in yesterday’s blowout win, sources say. He had his MRI last night. Gordon is out the next few weeks, but should be back before the end of the regular season if all goes well.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 26, 2018
Gordon had suffered the injury after he was hit was a low tackle in the backfield after attempting to run a reserve late in the game. He had put together a solid game with 61 rushing yards on 10 carries with a pair of touchdowns along with two catches for five receiving yards. Prior to the contest, he had been questionable throughout the week with a hamstring injury but was able to prove that he was capable of playing through it.
This latest setback will force him to miss the next few weeks and possibly more depending on his recovery and how precautious the team will be with injury over the next several games to end the regular season. In his absence, the Chargers will look to lean on backup Austin Ekeler, who has served as a dependable factor in the offense as a dual-threat option out of the backfield over the last few seasons. Ekeler has rushed for 409 yards on 70 carries with a touchdown along with 32 receptions for 354 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
The loss of Gordon has put them without one of their primary weapon in the offense as he has been putting together a highly productive campaign ranking sixth with 802 rushing yards, and ninth with nine rushing touchdowns along with 44 receptions for 453 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 10 games played. This includes tallying three 100 rushing yard performances, including more than 50 rushing yards all but once.
