Nearly everything went right for the Los Angeles Chargers in their rout of the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday night.
Yet, when All-Pro safety Derwin James left LA’s 37-10 win at SoFi Stadium, things threatened to take an ominous turn to what has so far been a promising start to Jim Harbaugh’s second year as head coach.
But luckily for the Chargers, James’ injury is nothing too serious. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, James is believed to have suffered a low ankle sprain and could end up not missing any time.
LA (5-3) has won two of its past three games to push ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs into second place in the AFC West. After their mini-bye, the Chargers will head to Nashville for a date against the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 2.
Derwin James Is One of The Chargers’ Most Important Players On Defense
James has reached the Pro Bowl in three of past four seasons and is off to another solid start for the Chargers.
He is second on the Chargers in tackles (49), QB hits (6), tackles for loss (5) and interceptions (1), leads the team in solo tackles (28) and fills the stat sheet by posting 1.5 sacks and three passes defended while playing every game this year.
So the fact James played just six defensive snaps, and had his foot in a walking boot after LA’s rout, was of utmost concern to the Chargers and their fans.
But the report from Pelissero, and subsequent analysis that James may not miss any action depending on the severity of his injury, should quell most of those fears.
“The hope is it’s nothing major,” Pelissero reported.
Not having James for any games would be a disaster, especially since the Chargers also lost cornerback Tarheeb Still to a knee injury and fellow safety Tony Jefferson to a hamstring injury — Jefferson is James’ backup — during the game against Minnesota.
Derwin James’ Ankle Injury Was Well Timed, and The Chargers Defense Should Be Healthy Soon
There’s no good time to lose a defensive captain, four-time Pro Bowler and player who can affect the game in as many ways as James does.
But there is no worse time than now for James to be going through a low-ankle sprain.
LA will have a mini bye following its win over the Vikings, since it gets an extra three days of rest before its game against the Titans. Tennessee (1-6) is one of the worst offensive teams in football, since it is 32nd in the NFL in points per game (13.7) and yards per game (235.6).
After Tennessee, the Chargers will have a Sunday Night Football date with the Pittsburgh Steelers, at SoFi Stadium before their Week 11 bye.
The Chargers could opt to hold out James for the next two games, or at least the Titans game, and get James back to full speed for the Chargers push to the playoffs.
According to The Athletic, Los Angeles has an 80 percent chance of making the playoffs based on its team and the remainder of its schedule
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