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Report: 'Real Possibility' Melvin Gordon Misses Week 13 with MCL Knee Injury
November 26, 2018
Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon suffered a knee injury that forced him to leave Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.
According to Eric Williams of ESPN, the injury is to his MCL and there is a "real possibility" he misses the team's Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 25-year-old has showed impressive durability throughout his career, taking on a heavy workload as both a runner and receiver. He also appeared in all 16 games in 2017, although a hamstring injury caused him to miss the team's Week 7 game against the Tennessee Titans.
Austin Ekeler, who has played a significant role even with Gordon on the field, became the go-to option in the backfield and should slide into that job once again if the starter is unavailable. Justin Jackson could also see snaps and a few touches off the bench.
While Ekeler is certainly talented, there is a major drop-off when Gordon is not on the field. The former Pro Bowler has topped 1,400 yards from scrimmage in each of the past two years with 12 touchdowns in each season.
The 2018 season has gone even better, as he's totaled 802 rushing yards and 453 receiving yards to go with a career-high 13 touchdowns. This includes his two rushing scores Sunday before coming out of the eventual 45-10 win.
Unfortunately, the Chargers could once again be forced to play without their best offensive weapon.
