Week 18 means very little For the Los Angeles Chargers,. They are already locked into a Wild Card spot, and it has become clear they plan to rest their starters.
While this will essentially seed the one-seed to the Denver Broncos, it could pay major dividends as the banged-up team prepares for their playoff matchup. Not only will players such as Justin Herbert and Kimani Vidal get a much-needed rest, but, with rookie safety R.J. Mickens appearing to trend in the right direction, it will give him another week to come back fully healthy.
Mickens has been among the Chargers' most impactful pieces in their secondary this season, and his return could be absolutely crucial to holding whatever offense they're matched up against at bay.
R.J. Mickens appears set to return for the Wild Card Round
Los Angeles made a massive gamble earlier this season in swapping sixth-year safety Alohi Gilman for edge rusher Odafe Oweh, trusting in Mickens to continue the strides they saw early in his rookie season.
It's safe to say it paid off.
Mickens has stepped into the starting safety role alongside Elijah Molden with relative ease, garnering 17 tackles and playing a large share of the team's defensive snaps since the move. According to Pro Football Focus, he ranks 23rd amongst the 98 safeties who have played enough snaps to earn an overall grade for this season.
Without a doubt, this is impressive stuff for a rookie. However, the Chargers have been without him for the past two weeks since he suffered a shoulder injury in Week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tony Jefferson has done a solid job in his absence. Los Angeles's secondary, however, is better with all three of their primary safeties available.
After not practicing at all last week ahead of his team's matchup with the Houston Texans, Mickens logged a limited practice on Wednesday, signifying that his return could be made rather soon. While there's almost no chance that the ream rushes him back for a meaningless game against Denver, it appears as though he's trending in the right direction to be available for the playoffs.
As of now, their most likely Wild Card Round matchup is the New England Patriots given the way games are slated for Week 18. The Patriots are among the league's premier passing offenses and are tied for first with the Seattle Seahawks in net yards per passing attempt.
Any hope that the Chargers have at earning a playoff victory this season rests on their defense, and Mickens's return could prove to be a huge development on this front.