Chargers' Khalil Mack gets brutally honest about his injury status vs. Ravens

Khalil Mack missed his first-ever game for the LA Chargers in Week 11 against the Cincinnati Bengals. With Joey Bosa at full health, the Chargers were able to overcome Mack's absence and overcome the Bengals in a nailbiting primetime game.

The Chargers head into another prominent primetime matchup against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12 with Mack's status up in the air. Mack was officially listed as questionable for Monday's game after being a limited participant in practice all week.

While Mack's questionable tag opened the door for him to potentially miss a second game in a row, the veteran edge rusher quelled any concerns when speaking to the media on Saturday. Mack made his intentions very clear for Monday's game against the Ravens: he expects to play.

Khalil Mack expecting to return to the Chargers vs. the Ravens

Fans have to love Mack's bluntness about the situation. Despite being a tandem for three seasons now, the Chargers have not benefitted from the Bosa-Mack partnership very often because of injuries (mostly on Bosa's side).

With Bosa returning to a regular snap count last week, the Chargers have a real opportunity to throw something very dangerous at the Ravens on Monday Night Football. A healthy pass rush very well could be the difference between a win and a loss for the Chargers.

That being said, Mack's bluntness is still not an outright guarantee he will play. Mack said he expects to play, but he is not the one who makes the decision and he cannot predict how he will feel on gameday.

There could always be a late setback for the veteran edge rusher and the Chargers may also want to be cautious with Mack. If the Chargers are going to make a deep playoff run this season then the team needs Mack healthy in December and January. The Chargers need to weigh the risk-reward of playing Mack, even if he is set on suiting up.

Los Angeles could end up meeting in the middle, allowing Mack to play but keeping him on a snap count of sorts. Tuli Tuipulotu has been playing the best ball of his young career so the Chargers have the depth to ease Mack back into the fold.

Either way, the Chargers are in a good position as long as Mack can suit up and give it a go on Monday.