Chargers get a slew of negative injury updates with pivotal Bills matchup looming

The Los Angeles Chargers desperately needed a reason for optimism after their defeat at the hands of the Las Vegas Raiders.

They've undone themselves with sloppy play in back-to-back weeks, and relative to where expectations were at for Mike McDaniel's offense during the offseason, it's hard to imagine things going any worse through their first two games. They'll enter the hardest stretch of their season with an 0-2 record, and this roster as a whole has done very little to inspire confidence in their ability to rebound against that slate of opponents.

The last thing they needed, conversely, was negative injury news. But Jim Harbaugh provided exactly that in his press availability on Monday afternoon.

Both Charlie Kolar and David Njoku, who left the game yesterday with injuries, will be going on the injured reserve, meaning they'll need to miss at least four games before they can return to the roster. Harbaugh also said that left guard Kayode Awosika and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson are set to "miss some time".

Not only have the Chargers failed to find their offensive footing this season, they'll now be heading into an absolute must-win matchup against the Buffalo Bills without at least three key pieces of their offense. It's not yet time to call it an absolute disaster, but it's about as close as it can possibly get at this point.

The Chargers will be without Njoku, Kolar, Awosika, and Tomlinson in their Week 3 matchup

Let's break down the injuries quickly before we dive into analysis. Njoku injured his arm in the middle of the game and was ultimately carted off the field—so it's no surprise that he's set to miss time. Awosika, meanwhile, went to the tunnel late in the game and was replaced by Trevor Penning at left guard. It's good news that he's not headed immediately to the IR, but a fibula injury doesn't sound like a great sign for an already weakened offensive line.

Kolar's placement on the IR comes as somewhat of a surprise. He snuck out of the game through the tunnel around the same time Awosika did, presumably to get looked at by the training staff, and he was spotted after the game wearing a sling on his arm. It's still unclear what his exact injury is, but it must certainly be serious if Los Angeles is willing to lose both their starting tight ends for at least four weeks.

In terms of adjustments from here, it's easy to see where the Chargers will go at DT and LG. If Trey Pipkins III isn't ready to go for Week 3, Penning will slide in on the left side of the offensive line. He looked relatively solid across limited snaps there in Week 2, but there's certainly room for major concern there considering he was out of the competition for the starting spot essentially from the get-go this offseason. Los Angeles also has enough depth along their interior defensive line to account for a temporary absence from Tomlinson.

But the in-line blocking abilities of both Kolar and Njoku are so integral to what McDaniel's offense is supposed to be (emphasis on the hypothetical there) , that it's hard to see how Los Angeles accounts for their absences. Oronde Gadsden II will certainly take on TE1 duties, and the Chargers can elevate both Patrick Herbert and Evan Svoboda from the practice squad. But can any of them be trusted to aid in the run game in the same way that their two missing tight ends can? Maybe a move is on the horizon there.

But heading into a must-win matchup against a Buffalo Bills team that looks as hot as any squad in the league, these are losses Los Angeles simply cannot afford.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow