The Chargers’ late push for a playoff spot might have a serious obstacle to overcome.
Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that wide receiver Vincent Jackson’s groin injury is not progressing as well as the team has hoped, leading to “mounting concern” that the team could be without Jackson against the Lions on Saturday. Jackson has played all 14 games for the Chargers this year, a rare force of stability in a receiving corps that’s been ravaged by injuries in 2011.
Jackson, Antonio Gates and Malcolm Floyd played together for just six quarters this season before Week 13 when all three were in the lineup. That game kicked off the Chargers’ three-game winning streak that has put them back within spitting distance of a playoff spot and has also coincided with Philip Rivers’ best performances of the season.
With Norv Turner and A.J. Smith potentially fighting for their jobs, Jackson’s injury couldn’t come at a worse time for those advocating continuity in San Diego.