Injury Report: Updates On Philip Rivers And Corey Liuget
By Dave Thomas
Are you ready for some "playoff" football this weekend?
True, the NFL playoffs do not officially kick off until the weekend of Jan. 3-4, but several games this weekend are in all essence playoff games.
Among them:
* San Diego at Kansas City (for an AFC wild card spot)
* Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (the winner is the AFC North champ, the loser is the wild card)
* Detroit at Green Bay (the winner is the NFC North champ, the loser is the wild card)
* Carolina at Atlanta (the winner is the NFC South champ)
Those are just the games with playoff implications as to which teams get in etc., while several other games will determine final playoff seeds and first-round byes.
Arrowhead Stadium Will Be Rocking
For San Diego Charger fans, all eyes will be on Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City as the 9-6 Bolts battle the 8-7 Chiefs.
Earlier this season in San Diego, the Chiefs came to town and left with a hard-fought 23-20 victory, giving them the upper-hand in the head-to-head meetings. Since that time, Denver has clinched the AFC West, leaving San Diego and Kansas City to battle for the last remaining AFC wild card spot.
If momentum is anything in the NFL, the Chargers should certainly have some going into Sunday's tilt.
After trailing San Francisco by 21 points last Saturday evening, the Bolts came roaring back to post a 38-35 overtime win over the 49ers, thereby keeping them in the playoff hunt (currently hold the sixth and final seed).
Meantime, the Chiefs were 20-12 losers in Pittsburgh, putting them on the brink of elimination. With a win Sunday against the Chargers and a little help elsewhere, Kansas City can secure the final AFC playoff spot.
So, what are the Chargers' chances in leaving the nation's heartland with their 10th victory of the season?
As most teams know by this point in the season, injuries play a key factor. When you have to go on the road to one of the most raucous NFL environments, it makes the challenge all the more difficult.
While starting quarterback Philip Rivers continues to show his guts and heart by playing through both chest and back injuries, time will tell if the Bolts can get back a couple of other key players come Sunday afternoon.
Starting wide receiver Keenan Allen and starting running back Ryan Mathews both missed practice earlier in the week due to collarbone/ankle and ankle injuries, respectively. Meantime, starting defensive end Corey Liuget did practice later in the week as he looks to recover from his own ankle issues.
Even if both Allen and Mathews are unable to go Sunday, the Chargers proved in Santa Clara this past Saturday evening that they do have enough firepower to get the job done without those two key pieces.
When all is said and done, both the Chargers and Chiefs will put it all on the line this Sunday in order to try and punch their respective tickets for January.
INJURY REPORT AS OF THURSDAY:
Keenan Allen (wide receiver) - ankle/shoulder - did not practice
Corey Liuget (defensive tackle) - ankle - full practice
Ryan Mathews (running back) - ankle - did not practice
Philip Rivers (quarterback) - chest/back - full practice
Mike Scifres (punter) - shoulder - did not practice
Chris Watt (guard) - ankle - did not practice
Shareece Wright (corner) - concussion - full 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.
