Injury Report: Updates On Ryan Mathews And Dwight Freeney
By Dave Thomas
The term "must-win" game is oftentimes used too often in the world of sports.
Unless a team has to win a game to stave off elimination (regular season or playoffs), having a "must-win" game may not really be the case. That said, Sunday's game for the San Diego Chargers against hated AFC West rival Oakland is essentially a "must-win" game if the Bolts are to remain in the hunt for the division crown or a wild card spot come the end of December.
Sitting at 5-4, the Chargers in recent weeks have watched both Denver (7-2) and Kansas City (6-3) surpass them in the AFC West race. A loss Sunday to the NFL's only winless team (Oakland is currently 0-9) would severely hamper San Diego's ability to remain competitive in the division, especially with a formidable December schedule (New England, Denver, at San Francisco, at Kansas City) awaiting the Chargers.
Oakland Has Nothing To Lose
For the Raiders, this season has gone from bad to worse in record time.
Despite giving playoff contenders New England (lost 16-9), Seattle (lost 30-24), and San Diego the first time around (lost 31-28) tussles, the Silver and Black have also been blown out by several teams. All-in-all, the once-proud franchise has been reduced to a shell of what it once was over the last decade.
With that in mind, could the Raiders give the Chargers a second battle when the two collide this time around?
Coming off of a 41-17 home thumping at the hands of Denver last weekend, Oakland looked yet again like the worst team in the league, and that is saying something given how bad teams like Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and the New York Jets have looked at times this season.
While the oddsmakers currently have the Chargers sitting as a 10.5-point favorite, many Charger players and fans for that matter are likely expecting a close game when the two long-time rivals (Oakland leads series 59-49-2) collide. Expect some aggressive play on both sides of the ball, especially when you have two franchises that quite simply do not like one another.
For the Chargers, beating Oakland and then St. Louis (at home Nov. 23) would put them at 7-4, along with providing them some added confidence as they make yet another cross-country trek for a Nov. 30 contest in Baltimore against the Ravens.
On the other hand, giving Oakland its first win of the season would put San Diego's losing skid at four straight games, something the Chargers may find too difficult to recover from.
As they head into Sunday's heated rivalry, the Bolts are looking to get healthy.
Injured in the season opener, starting running back Ryan Mathews could see his first action in some two months, while the Chargers also look to get veteran outside linebacker Dwight Freeney back in the mix.
Having both Mathews and Freeney available at close to full strength for Sunday could give the Bolts the added muscle they need to send Oakland to 0-10.
INJURY REPORT AS OF THURSDAY:
Jahleel Addae (safety) - concussion - full practice
Seyi Ajirotutu (wide receiver) - non-injury related - full practice
Jeremiah Attaochu (outside linebacker) - hamstring - full practice
Dwight Freeney (outside linebacker) non-injury related - full practice
Sean Lissemore (nose tackle) - quad - did not practice
Ryan Mathews (running back) - knee - full practice
Rich Ohrnberger (center/guard) - back - full practice
Manti Te'o (inside linebacker) - foot - full practice
Jason Verrett (corner) - shoulder - did not practice
For more Chargers news and updates, visit Chargers Central.
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.