Chargers lose major offensive piece shortly before facing Chiefs in Week 14

The Chargers' offense won't be at full strength in Week 14 when they complete their season series against Kansas City.

After numerous seasons sidetracked by injuries, running back J.K. Dobbins was finally enjoying the sort of season that every fan who ever watched him at Ohio State knew he could have. Then just as the NFL's regular season was reaching the stretch run, Dobbins' inability to stay healthy once again brought it all to a halt.

On Saturday, the Chargers placed Dobbins' name on a list that's become synonymous with his career: injured reserve.

Dobbins has been dealing with a knee injury he suffered back in the team's loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12. It was already announced that he would miss the team's Week 13 contest against the Atlanta Falcons, but apparently the Chargers are ready to free up a roster spot rather than play a game of "can he play?" each week for the next few games.

With Dobbins' placement on IR, it means Dobbins will sit out the next four games. That's two road contests against the Falcons and Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14 followed by consecutive home contests against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos in Weeks 15 and 16, respectively.

The toughest part of the loss of Dobbins here is the timing of not having him around for two pivotal AFC West games that might decide the fate of the team as they vie for the postseason. Right now, the Chargers are second in the AFC West behind the Chiefs, who have already clinched their roster spot but need to hold onto the top seed in the AFC for home-field advantage.

Following the Chargers are the Broncos who have been quite hot as of recently and would love to see the Chargers lose some ground. It's going to be tough for three teams from the West to make the postseason, and both L.A. and Denver would claim the final two spots right now in the AFC if the season ended today.

Against the Chiefs, Dobbins had a season-low 32 yards on 14 carries in an first-quarter matchup that gave the Chiefs an early lead in the AFC West.

The good news for the Chargers is that if they can sustain their winning ways, Dobbins should be back for the postseason. So far this year, Dobbins has 158 carries for 768 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns, good for ninth in the NFL. He also has 28 catches for 134 receiving yards. Dobbins is just 40 yards short of his career best set back in his rookie season of 2020.