Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa is expected to miss eight-to-10 weeks after undergoing surgery Thursday for a groin tear, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Schefter reported Bosa is unlikely to "continue operating as a top-flight edge rusher" if and when he comes back later this season.

This is another setback for Bosa after he played just seven games in 2018 and 12 in 2020.

When healthy, the 27-year-old is one of the best pass-rushers in the NFL.

His resume includes a Defensive Rookie of the Year, four Pro Bowl selections and four seasons with double-digit sacks, including 51 tackles, 10.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles in 2021.

The Ohio State product had seven tackles and 1.5 sacks through the first three weeks of the season.

Los Angeles will need to rely more on Khalil Mack and Morgan Fox to anchor the pass rush with Bosa out. Chris Rumph II and Kyle Van Noy are also expected to help pick up the slack.

Los Angeles Chargers star wide receiver Keenan Allen appeared to be in line to return from a two-game absence this week, but he may have suffered a setback.

Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reported that Allen left Thursday's practice early with a trainer. The 30-year-old has been dealing with a hamstring injury.

Allen suffered the injury in Los Angeles' Week 1 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He recorded four catches for 66 yards before exiting the game.

While Allen has been sidelined, the Chargers have lost back-to-back games. The team's offense particularly struggled this past Sunday in a 38-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert completed 25 of 45 passes for 297 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Allen has managed to stay healthy in recent years, playing 16 games in four of the last five seasons. A five-time Pro Bowl selection, he is the most reliable target in the Chargers passing attack. If Allen misses more time, it will be detrimental to a Los Angeles team that is already reeling from injuries.

Herbert is playing through fractured rib cartilage. Star edge-rusher Joey Bosa was placed on injured reserve Wednesday after suffering a groin tear against the Jaguars that requires surgery. Pro Bowl offensive tackle Rashawn Slater tore his biceps and is likely to miss the remainder of the season. Cornerback J.C. Jackson (ankle) and center Corey Linsley (knee) are considered questionable after missing the game against Jacksonville.

The Chargers are looking to bounce back Sunday when they take on the Houston Texans.

Los Angeles Chargers pass-rusher Joey Bosa will go on injured reserve and will have surgery to repair his groin injury, head coach Brandon Staley told reporters Wednesday.

The 27-year-old is still expected to return this season.

Bosa suffered the injury in his team's Week 3 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and was quickly ruled out. Staley later called it a "significant" injury that left him week-to-week.

Through three games in 2022, Bosa has seven tackles and 1.5 sacks.

The Chargers still have Khalil Mack leading the pass rush, but the defense will suffer without Bosa on the field. It will put pressure on Kyle Van Noy and Chris Rumph II to step up at outside linebacker.

Bosa has already established himself as one of the league's best defensive players. The 2016 No. 3 overall pick earned the Defensive Rookie of the Year award before getting a Pro Bowl selection in four of the next five years.

The Ohio State product reached double-digit sacks in four of his first six seasons, with injuries slowing him down in the other two years. A foot problem notably limited him to just seven games in 2018.

Bosa and the Chargers will hope to avoid a long-term issue after he signed a five-year, $135 million contract with the team that runs through 2025.

Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa appears to be in danger of missing time this season.

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley told reporters on Monday that Bosa is dealing with a "significant" groin injury and he is considered week-to-week.

Bosa suffered the injury in the first quarter of Sunday's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and didn't return to the game. In his absence, veteran linebacker Kyle Van Noy and second-year pro Chris Rumph II rotated opposite star edge-rusher Khalil Mack.

Losing Bosa for any amount of time would be a major setback to the Chargers defense. The 27-year-old racked up 58 sacks in his first six seasons since being drafted No. 3 overall in 2016. In three games this year, he has seven tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

The Chargers are already reeling from multiple significant injuries through the first three weeks of the 2022 season. Pro Bowl offensive tackle Rashawn Slater is expected to miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn left biceps tendon. Star quarterback Justin Herbert played the full game on Sunday despite dealing with fractured rib cartilage.

Los Angeles wide receiver Keenan Allen missed his second straight game with a hamstring injury. Cornerback J.C. Jackson (ankle) and center Corey Linsey (knee) were also ruled out against Jacksonville.

Many had expected the Chargers to take a significant step forward this season and compete for a division title in the AFC West. These injuries put a big dent in the team's aspirations for this year.

Los Angeles (1-2) will look to bounce back from two consecutive losses when it takes on the Houston Texans (0-2-1) on Sunday.

Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Rashawn Slater is expected to miss the remainder of the 2022 NFL season after rupturing his biceps tendon, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Slater was forced to exit Sunday's 38-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars after logging 34 total snaps.

Only three games into the year, the Chargers are getting hammered by injuries.

Justin Herbert's status for Sunday was up in the air because of fractured rib cartilage. Keenan Allen, J.C. Jackson and Corey Linsley were all ruled out prior to the contest. Joey Bosa, meanwhile, suffered a groin injury that required further examination Monday:

The Chargers:

- JC Jackson had preseason ankle injury, played Week 2, then missed Week 3
- Justin Herbert playing through rib cartilage injury
- Rashawn Slater out for the year
- Joey Bosa left yesterday's game with a groin injury and did not return

It's not even Week 4.

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) September 26, 2022

Losing Slater on its own is a massive blow for Los Angeles because of his value and the period of time he's likely to be out.

The 2021 first-round pick made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, and Pro Football Focus' Sam Monson predicted in August he'd become the NFL's highest-graded tackle this season.

The impact of Slater's absence is compounded by the fact Storm Norton is now poised to take over as the starting left tackle. It didn't take long for Norton to get exposed against Jacksonville.

Storm Norton dinged with a holding penalty.

The Chargers are missing Rashawn Slater.

— Chargers Wire (@TheChargersWire) September 25, 2022

And he takes a shot on first down after backup LT Storm Norton gets beat. https://t.co/vtDkhPUu9c

— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) September 25, 2022

With Herbert at less than 100 percent, the last thing the Chargers needed was to see Slater go down.

Although Los Angeles missed the playoffs in 2021, expectations were justifiably high coming into this season. Herbert emerged as a franchise quarterback, and the front office took advantage of his rookie contract to invest heavily in the defense.

However, things appear to already be going off the rails in Southern California.

The AFC West is the NFL's version of a great movie trailer that gets everyone excited, only to be disappointed once the film begins. Expectations can ruin the actual experience.

A supposed arms race took place this offseason. The Las Vegas Raiders traded for Davante Adams and signed Chandler Jones as a free agent. The Los Angeles Chargers brought in Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson and fortified their previously soft defensive interior.

The Kansas City Chiefs moved on from the likes of Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Mathieu but made sure to beef up the defense with the first-round draft selections of Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis. The Denver Broncos' made arguably the biggest move by acquiring future Hall of Fame quarterback Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks.

The Broncos' appalling 11-10 victory Sunday against the Jimmy Garoppolo-led San Francisco 49ers provided the perfect ending to an awful day for the division.

Yes, a win is a win. But not all wins are the same. And not all wins are good wins.

Denver played terribly throughout the night. Garoppolo's futility allowed the Broncos to escape with an underserved victory, which is becoming a regular occurrence against subpar competition.

Last week, the Broncos trailed the Houston Texans by three points entering the fourth quarter. The Texans are one of two winless teams currently found around the league.

The 49ers, meanwhile, are dealing with the fact they're now starting the quarterback they wanted to rid themselves of but didn't have a better option other than cutting his salary and having him serve as a backup.

To underline how poorly Denver's offense played Sunday, the team went three-and-out on nine different occasions, which is the most by a Wilson-led offense during the quarterback's 11-year career.

During the team's initial 11 drives, Wilson averaged a putrid 5.4 air yards per attempt, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. In total, the team has converted one of seven red zone trips into a touchdown so far this season.

In all fairness, some of the quarterback's old magic appeared with the game on the line late in the fourth quarter. With 10:12 left to play and down five points, Wilson completed five of seven passes and created with his legs to avoid pressure and pick up 12 yards on a crucial 3rd-and-6 at San Francisco's 36-yard line.

Even so, the sight of errant throws, miscommunication on routes and an inability to properly block the 49ers' defensive front shows how disjointed the Denver offense is at the moment.

"We're still all learning each other," Wilson told reporters. "We're so close. I've been a part of some good offenses, and I think we have a chance to be really, really great ... I'm excited because I can feel it—everything is just that close. And once we do, with our defense, we're going to be unstoppable, I think. We've got a chance."

A 2-1 record keeps the Broncos stride-for-stride with the Kansas City Chiefs atop the AFC West. The current standings are more of an indictment of both teams than a reflection of quality performances.

Against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Kansas City found a way to lose. The Colts couldn't get their offense on track for most of the day. The Chiefs did an excellent job of confusing veteran quarterback Matt Ryan and his highly paid offensive line throughout the contest. Kansas City created multiple free runs at Ryan to disrupt Indianapolis' game plan.

Yet a missed field goal, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on defensive lineman Chris Jones after a successful third-down stop, and a Patrick Mahomes interception led to the Colts' comeback victory. All of this occurred after a minor sideline dustup between the quarterback and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

Ultimately, it's the little things. The Chiefs are still easing into their new offensive setup, and Mahomes took the blame for the loss in his postgame press conference.

"We've got to gel all together. It starts with me. There were certain throws I was putting on guys' back hips instead of in front of him. There were certain situations where we were just barely off of it ... Whenever you're playing a tough game like that, you have to execute at a higher level and we have to learn from it. Our schedule gets no easier. We have a hard game Sunday (against) Tampa next week with a great defense, so we have to get better quickly. And if we don't, we don't want these (losses) to start piling up. We want to make sure we get back on that winning train."

Meanwhile, the Chargers are dealing with multiple key injuries. Defensive end Joey Bosa didn't return during Los Angeles' 38-10 thumping at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars after suffering a groin injury. Left tackle Rashawn Slater injured his biceps. Quarterback Justin Herbert is already playing through fractured rib cartilage.

"I just didn't want to quit on the team," Herbert told reporters after the decisive loss.

Center Corey Linsley (knee), wide receiver Keenan Allen (hamstring) and cornerback J.C. Jackson (knee) didn't even play in the contest.

Availability and quality of depth play big parts in how successful a team can be. If its top performers aren't healthy or not playing well, expectations must be tempered.

Lastly, the Las Vegas Raiders are allowed to have some hope, even though they're the only team to start 0-3 this season. Sunday's performance within their division makes it possible to climb back into the race.

Granted, the Chiefs and Broncos are already two games ahead. Six teams during the Super Bowl era have made the playoffs after starting 0-3, according to the Associated Press' Josh Dubow.

Quarterback Derek Carr even insinuated certain individuals must be better in practice during his postgame press conference.

"You try your best to do it the right way in practice, and if you don't do it right in practice, then you can't expect it to go right in the game," Carr said. "We've got to look at that, each man as an individual and say, 'OK then, I've got to get better at this, this, and this.'"

The rest of the AFC sees the Miami Dolphins leading the way with a 3-0 record. The Buffalo Bills may have come up short against their division rival this weekend, but they're clearly one of the league's best.

Lamar Jackson is back to MVP form during the Baltimore Ravens' 2-1 start. Jacksonville is much tougher than expected, with a true professional now leading the team in head coach Doug Pederson.

A weak first act can be saved by a strong finish. Even after a rough start, the AFC West shouldn't fall completely apart. Expectations simply need to be adjusted. Maybe the division wasn't as good as everyone originally projected.

Even so, the eventual winner can still have its made-for-movie ending.

---

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.

Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa will undergo testing to determine the severity of a groin injury that ruled him out for the remainder of Sunday's loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the news. Later, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that left tackle Rashawn Slater ruptured his biceps tendon and is expected to miss the rest of the season, making Sunday a costly day for Los Angeles.

Bosa is having a solid 2022 campaign, recording 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, six tackles, two tackles for a loss and four quarterback hits through his first two games.

The 27-year-old has appeared in 16 games in just three of his first six seasons, appearing in 12 games or fewer in the other three campaigns.

The Ohio State product missed two games in 2020 because of a concussion and was also placed in concussion protocol for a second time last season, which resulted in him missing two more games.

Bosa enjoyed a successful season in 2021, recording 10.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, 51 tackles, five tackles for a loss and 20 quarterback hits. It was his second consecutive year with at least 7.5 sacks.

When Bosa is sidelined, players such as Chris Rumph II and Kyle Van Noy are expected to step up.

The Chargers are 1-2 on the season. If L.A. wants to make the playoffs, and perhaps make a run at the Super Bowl, it will need Bosa healthy.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is active and will play in Sunday's matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars despite dealing with a rib injury.

Earlier Sunday, it was reported the 24-year-old would make a decision during warm-ups on whether to take a "painkilling injection," ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.

Herbert suffered a rib cartilage fracture in a Week 2 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs, though he showed an enormous level of toughness and played through the injury to finish the game.

"You're not going to see a quarterback at any level of football play tougher and do more for their team and will their team to give them a chance more than him," head coach Brandon Staley told reporters after that contest. "There's nobody that can do what he can do, nobody. He showed a lot of guts, he showed us what he shows every day, that we're never out of the fight, and he brought us back and gave us a chance."

Herbert has already proved himself as one of the NFL's rising superstars at the quarterback position, throwing for 5,014 yards, 38 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while completing 65.9 percent of his passes last season.

That earned him his first Pro Bowl bid in just his second season after he took home Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2020.

If Herbert is forced to leave Sunday's game, Chase Daniel will handle things under center.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who is dealing with a rib cartilage injury, told reporters that his playing status against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday will be a game-day decision.

#Chargers QB Justin Herbert says he doesn’t know if he will play Sunday, “that decision will be made Sunday.”

— Fernando Ramirez (@RealFRamirez) September 23, 2022

Herbert suffered the ailment after taking a fourth-quarter hit during his team's Sept. 15 game versus the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated the Bolts 27-24.

The former Oregon star finished the matchup, but he has not been a full participant on the Chargers' practice report this week. He was limited on Wednesday and Thursday but did not practice Friday.

Herbert, who is in his third NFL season, has gotten off to a hot start by completing 59 of 82 passes for 613 yards, six touchdowns and one interception. Under his leadership, the Chargers had the No. 5 scoring offense in the NFL last season.

Herbert would obviously be a huge loss for a team that may also be without wide receiver Keenan Allen, who missed the Chiefs game and is questionable for Sunday with a hamstring ailment.

If Herbert can't go, then Chase Daniel will step in for the Chargers, and Easton Stick will serve as the backup.

The 35-year-old Daniel has been in the NFL since 2010. He has played for seven different teams and joined the Chargers last year.

For his career, Daniel has completed 178 of 261 passes (68.2 percent) for eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Game time for the Chargers' home game on Sunday is 4:05 p.m. ET from SoFi Stadium.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert's status for Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars seems to be up in the air after he suffered a fracture to his rib cartilage during a Week 2 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, and head coach Brandon Staley confirmed the team is taking a day-to-day approach.

"He's gotten a lot of rest since the last game," Staley told reporters Wednesday. "He's feeling more comfortable. I know that he was able to do some light throwing yesterday, some rotational work, but we're just going to take it day by day and see where his comfort level is."

Staley also said the decision on whether to play Herbert against Jacksonville "will start with him and then obviously him feeling good about what the medical team feels like is best, him weighing the options and then us making a good decision."

It's worth noting that the medical team is under some scrutiny.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter reported former Chargers quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who now plays for the New York Giants, is suing team doctor David S. Gazzaniga for medical malpractice. Taylor is seeking at least $5 million in damages for the incident that left him with a punctured lung while he was being treated for a rib injury in 2020.

This is the same doctor charged with caring for Herbert's latest injury.

From a football perspective, Herbert's availability could be the difference between a win and a loss on Sunday. He is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and has completed 72.0 percent of his passes for 613 yards, six touchdowns and one interception through two games this season.

He isn't the only injury concern for Los Angeles, as wide receiver Keenan Allen missed the game against the Chiefs with a hamstring injury.

The Chargers announced Allen, like Hebert, was limited in Wednesday's practice.

That is plenty of offensive firepower hanging in the balance for the Chargers, and they may need it against a Jaguars defense that shut out the Indianapolis Colts during a 24-0 victory in Week 2.