Chargers' Mike Williams Ruled out for Wild Card Game vs. Jaguars with Back Injury

The Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver corps will be without Mike Williams for Saturday's AFC Wild Card Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The team announced on Friday that Williams has been ruled out due to a back injury and, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Lindsey Thiry, will likely miss the remainder of the season barring a run to the Super Bowl.

Williams' injury will shine an even brighter spotlight on Brandon Staley's decision to play his starters in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos.

After the Baltimore Ravens lost to the Cincinnati Bengals earlier in the day, the Chargers already had the No. 5 seed in the AFC playoffs locked up. Williams, Joey Bosa and Kenneth Murray Jr. all left the game with injuries.

Staley told reporters after the Broncos game Bosa was removed as part of a plan to phase players out of the game, and Murray suffered a stinger.

Bosa and Murray appear ready to go against the Jaguars after being full participants in practice this week.

Even though Staley said on Sunday that Williams could "possibly" have returned against the Broncos, The Athletic's Daniel Popper noted the 28-year-old wideout had to be helped to the team bus after the game because he couldn't walk on his own.

This is the second major injury for Williams this season. The Clemson alum missed four games due to an ankle injury.

The loss of Williams is a huge blow for the Chargers. He led the team with 895 receiving yards and ranked second with 14.2 yards per reception in 13 starts.

Keenan Allen and Josh Palmer will likely be Los Angeles' top two receivers. Running back Austin Ekeler, who led the team in targets (127) and receptions (107), could also be a bigger factor in the passing game.

The Chargers and Jaguars will play at TIAA Bank Field on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. ET.