Injury Report: Can San Diego End Season On High Note In Mile High City?
By Dave Thomas
While it certainly would not make up for a long and disastrous season, the San Diego Chargers would like nothing more than to put a slight crimp in the plans of the rival Denver Broncos.
Heading into this Sunday's regular season finale in the Mile High City, Denver sits at 11-4, still with an opportunity to grab the home field advantage for the upcoming AFC playoffs. The Broncos need New England to lose at Miami earlier in the day, then top San Diego (4-11) at home to secure the top spot. But with a Denver loss to the Chargers and a Kansas City (winners of nine straight) victory at home against Oakland, the Broncos would slip all the way down to a wild card team.
San Diego Playing For Pride
For the visiting Chargers, nothing other than pride is on the line following 15 games of missed opportunities, injuries, frustration and many question marks, heading into the 2016 campaign. Most notable of the questions: where will the Chargers call home next season and beyond?
In their first meeting of the season in early December, the Broncos came to San Diego and dominated in a 17-3 victory over the Bolts. That game marked the second of two straight games where the Chargers only managed a field goal, something that fans certainly would not let the home team forget.
With the two teams set to square off this time in Denver, several question marks hang over the Chargers. They include:
- Will San Diego mail-in this game if it gets behind early, or will they fight to the end, hoping to spoil Denver's opportunity to secure a high seed in the upcoming playoffs?
- How many healthy bodies can the Chargers put out on the field, especially given recent setbacks to guys like running back Melvin Gordon (done for the season) and a number of players on the offensive line?
- Is this the last game on the sidelines for head coach Mike McCoy? Definitely on the hot seat given how the team fell off from a pair of 9-7 seasons in his first two campaigns as head man, McCoy has to be wondering if time will run out when the regular season ends for the Bolts come Sunday.
No matter what happens for the Chargers when all is said and done in Denver come Sunday, the 2015 campaign will be one that many on and off the field will quickly look to forget.
A team with so much promise coming into 2015 certainly never lived up to the expectations both themselves and their fans had when summer camp opened back in July.
Probable:
Kyle Emanuel, outside linebacker (concussion)
Questionable:
Jerry Attaochu, outside linebacker (knee)
King Dunlap, tackle (ankle)
Orlando Franklin, offensive guard (concussion)
Chris Hairston, offensive tackle (abdomen)
Javontee Herndon, wide receiver (chest)
Stevie Johnson, wide receiver (groin)
Patrick Robinson, corner (calf)
Trevor Robinson, center (concussion/shoulder)
Manti Te'o, inside linebacker (ankle)
Jason Verrett, corner (hamstring)
Dave Thomas has been covering the sports world since his first job as a sports editor for a weekly newspaper in Pennsylvania back in 1989. He has covered a Super Bowl, college bowl games, MLB, NBA and more. His work can be found on Examiner.com.