The bye has arrived for the Kansas City Chiefs after winning each of their first four games, which means it's going to be some time before fans see their favorite team on the field again. Looming in the distance are the Los Angeles Chargers, a familiar team as AFC West rivals whose season is already surprisingly on the ropes.
To date, the Chargers have yet to win a single game, which puts them 4 games behind the Chiefs. That sounds silly in Week 4, but that goes to show just how miserable things have been for the Bolts. And things are going from bad to worse in L.A.
Chargers' offensive line could be in serious trouble
The Chargers are dealing with major injuries along the offensive line, which feels like an annual tradition at this point. While the Chiefs' game is still several days away, the Chargers could be without both of their starting tackles in Week 6.
Rashawn Slater left Sunday's loss to the Seattle Seahawks with an ankle injury. Head coach Jim Harbaugh spoke to reporters to start a new week as the team prepares to face the Denver Broncos in Week 5 and said that the team is still evaluating the nature of the injury. We reached out to Chargers expert Jason Reed from Bolt Beat for more on Slater's potential availability and how things might shake out for K.C.
"It would be very shocking if Slater suits up against the Chiefs," said Reed. "He is believed to have suffered a high ankle sprain, the same injury that knocked Joe Alt out for three weeks last year. Two games into his return, Alt aggravated the injury and missed the rest of the year. I expect the Chargers to be extremely patient with Slater."
Let's not forget that the Chargers already lost starting center Tyler Biadasz to a season-ending injury to start the year. Rookie Jake Slaughter shifted to center in his absence, instead of left guard as planned, which brought Kayode Awosika into the picture as a starter in his place. But Awosika went down, and Trevor Penning has been playing instead. As we said, things are a mess for L.A.
Joe Alt's status offers a little more hope
When asked about Alt, who suffered a neck injury in the second quarter of the same game, Reed had this to say: "As for Alt, it's really hard to tell at this point in time. They have been more hush-hush about his injury status, although it does not seem as serious as Slater's. I'd guess it's about 75-25 that Alt plays against the Chiefs."
If Alt is unable to go, fourth-round pick Travis Burke is the likely starter and things look perilously thin after that for the Chargers. If Slater hits injured reserve, the team is likely to make a move to bolster their depth so that things don't completely fall apart while they're dealing with these injuries.
If the Chargers lose to the Broncos in Week 5, their season will likely have already been declared dead, so there might be no reason for the franchise to press anyone to play if there are any health concerns involved. That said, divisional rivalries are always contentious and there's still a lot of football left to play, even for a team that has yet to win a game. If the Chargers are holding on for dear life, it's going to be even harder to stay afloat with injuries in the trenches.
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