Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon did not participate in the team's practice on Wednesday due to an ongoing knee issue.

Gordon suffered a sprained MCL against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 12, which caused him to be sidelined for this past week's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

However, things don't appear to be trending in the right direction towards Gordon returning to the field on Sunday.

From Jeff Miller of The Los Angeles Times:

RB Melvin Gordon (knee) and TE Sean Culkin (back) did not participate in #Chargers practice today. NT Brandon Mebane (non injury) and CB Trevor Williams (knee) were limited. Just speculating right now, but I'd be quite surprised if Gordon tries to play Sunday.

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It's still early in the week, so it's certainly possible that Gordon could be back on the practice field and ready in time to go up against the Cincinnati Bengals this weekend.

But given the importance of his long-term future, there's no doubt that the team will use caution with the star running back's availability.

The Chargers scored a huge comeback win over the Steelers in primetime, which allowed Anthony Lynn's team to move to 9-3 on the season and remain in pretty good shape when it comes to securing a playoff spot.

So, with a home matchup against the struggling Bengals up next, there's no reason for the Chargers to force Gordon back out on the field before he's fully ready.