The LA Chargers have their first home game in front of fans at SoFi Stadium in Week 2 as the 1-0 Bolts host the 0-1 Dallas Cowboys. This is a matchup of two potent offenses and has all the makings of being one of the best games of the week.
The initial injury reports for both teams have been released and fans may notice some big names for the Chargers. Most notably, Derwin James did not practice on Wednesday with a toe injury. Other players that were held out of practice include Bryan Bulaga, Justin Jones, Nasir Adderley, Kyler Fackrell and Chris Harris.
While that might be concerning, none of the injuries have been expressed as serious and the Chargers coaching staff has been extremely cautious with its players thus far. Charger fans should look at this injury report with optimism, not pessimism.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys injury report is brutal and will make it an easier showdown for the LA Chargers.
Cheering for injuries is terrible and is something that we would never do here at Bolt Beat. That being said, it is impossible to deny that the Cowboys injury report is not going to make life easier for the Chargers in Week 2.
The team is dealing with an array of injuries and missed players on both sides of the ball. Michael Gallup is not playing and is on the injured reserve; DeMarcus Lawrence had surgery on his foot and might miss the entire season; Zach Martin is returning from the reserve/covid-19 list while Randy Gregory was added to the list and the team is not hopeful that he will play.
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RIght tackle La'el Collins is not playing as he has been suspended five games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Starting safety Donovan Wilson is dealing with a groin injury and did not practice on Wednesday.
Those are a lot of injuries and it is hitting the Cowboys in bad areas. They lost a weapon in the passing game that will help them go toe-to-toe offensively with the Chargers. And even more impactful, they lost the starting right tackle, which will allow Joey Bosa to feast on Dak Prescott.
Defensively, the Cowboys are without their two best pass-rushers. The LA Chargers offensive line held up tremendously against the Washington Football Team's pass rush, just imagine how it will hold up against a Cowboys' pass rush that is depleted.
These are tough injuries to deal with and as long as the Chargers are simply being cautious and have not caught the injury bug then they are going to have a huge advantage in terms of health alone.
And as we have seen in the NFL before, sometimes that health advantage can be all a team needs to win a ball game.