LA Chargers Injuries Pile Up, WR Mike Williams Out 4 Weeks

Posted on: October 27, 2022, 11:22h. 

Last updated on: October 27, 2022, 12:15h.

Pauly McGuire Read More
Expertise: Sports Betting, Sports.

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams will miss at least four weeks with an ankle injury. He suffered a high ankle sprain against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7.

Mike Wailliams Ankle Injury LA Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams escapes a tackle against the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium. Williams will miss multiple games because of an ankle injury. (Image: USA Today Sports)

Williams twisted his ankle in the fourth quarter when Michael Jackson from the Seahawks tackled him after a reception. Williams exited the game and never returned. Before his injury, Williams caught seven passes for 86 yards and one touchdown against the Seahawks.

The Seahawks defeated the Chargers 37-23 on Sunday to end the Chargers’ three-game winning streak. The loss stung even more than usual because the Chargers also lost cornerback JC Jackson to a season-ending ruptured patella tendon in his right knee.

High Ankle Sprain Sidelines Williams

Williams underwent an MRI this week and he was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain. The Chargers learned that they won’t have him in the lineup for at least a month. With a bye scheduled this week, Williams hopes he will only miss three games and can return to action in Week 12.

In seven games this season, Williams tallied 37 receptions for 495 yards and three touchdowns. With Keenan Allen missing five games with a hamstring injury, Williams was the primary target for quarterback Justin Herbert. His numbers would be higher if Herbert wasn’t playing through a slow-healing rib cartilage injury, which has limited his effectiveness as a passer.

Despite Herbet’s injury, Williams had two strong performances with back-to-back 100-plus yard games in road victories against the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns.

In Week 4, Williams caught seven passes for 120 yards in a 34-24 win against the Texans. Although he didn’t catch any touchdown passes, Williams torched the Browns for 134 yards on 10 receptions in a 30-28 victory in Week 5.

Bolts ER

The Chargers have been decimated with injuries this season, yet still have a winning record at 4-3. In the second game of the season, Herbert fractured his rib cartilage against the Kansas City Chiefs on “Thursday Night Football.” The painful injury takes several months to heal, but Herbert didn’t miss any time.

In Week 3, the Chargers placed star defensive end Joey Bosa and left tackle Rashawn Slater on the IR. Rashawn earned All-Pro honors during his impressive rookie year in 2021. He’s out for the season after he tore his left bicep in a 38-10 blowout loss against the Jaguars.

Bosa suffered a groin injury against the Jaguars. He’s still recovering from surgery and hopes to return before the end of the season.

We have the grit,” defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day told the LA Times. “We have the fight. Right now, it’s the details. We have great people on this team, great guys. Just gotta put it all together. We haven’t done that yet.”

Meanwhile, veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen returned to action on Sunday after missing the previous five games with a left hamstring injury. Allen and Williams played only two games together this season. Now Allen will become the primary receiver for Herbert with Williams missing at least three games.

On Deck: Falcons, 49ers, Chiefs

The Chargers are on a bye in Week 8, which provides their injured players time to heal before they face their toughest stretch of the season. Four out of their next five games are on the road, with their lone home game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11.

After the bye, the Chargers play road games against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9, against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10, against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 12, and a rematch against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13.

What we need to do is get rested, take advantage of the bye and get rested,” said head coach Brandon Staley. “Then come back, as a team, and really focus on playing the way we’re capable of playing.”

The Chargers were a popular pick to win Super Bowl LVII in the offseason. They were as low as +1300 odds to win the Super Bowl after they won their season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders. Their odds gradually declined in the ensuing weeks after Herbert went down with a rib injury in Week 2.

According to a recent update by the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, the Chargers are +3000 odds to win the Super Bowl.

The Chargers are 4-3 overall and occupy second place in the AFC West behind the first-place Chiefs (5-2). The Chiefs are the consensus favorite to win the AFC West at -500 odds, according to DraftKings. The Chargers are their closest competition at +500 odds to win the division.