The injury report for Week 3 is out. The Chargers are in flux, which is seemingly their default state these days.
Safety Jahleel Addae, wide receiver/kick returner Jacoby Jones, offensive guard Johnnie Troutman and linebacker Tourek Williams are all out. No big surprises there, although this likely means wideout Keenan Allen will likely be returning punts again. Allen muffed a punt in the first quarter of last week’s loss to the Bengals that led to Cincinnati’s first score.
The list of guys who are questionable (that’s a 50-50 chance of playing) is interesting. Offensive guard D.J. Fluker returned to practice this week and might be able to go. Tight end Ladarius Green is also questionable after complaining of concussion-like symptoms on Tuesday. Cornerback Jason Verrett is the new loss. He suffered a foot injury in practice and might not be able to go. Everyone else is expected to play.
Verrett’s loss would be especially tough because he might be the fastest player on the defense and Minnesota’s wide receivers rely on speed. Mike Wallace is a burner with 4.3 speed who can get over the top in a hurry and Jarius Wright is a 4.4 guy. If Verrett, who also has a 4.3 in him, can’t go the Bolts might be in trouble deep down the field.
That means they’ll need to have a pass rush, which should be better this week with the return of Kyle Emanuel to close to full strength. Emanuel had a sack and an interception in his NFL debut against Detroit but a shoulder injury limited him to one tackle in Cincinnati.
