Melvin Gordon Could Return As Soon As Next Week
- Chargers running back Melvin Gordon, who is currently sidelined with a Grade 2 MCL sprain, could be back as soon as next week, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Gordon will miss tonight’s game against Pittsburgh but has a chance to return for the team’s December 9 matchup with the Bengals or the December 13 game in Arrowhead.
Poll: Who Will Be AFC’s No. 1 Seed?
Five two- or three-loss teams comprise the AFC’s group of surefire contenders. The Chiefs, Patriots, Texans, Steelers and Chargers are almost certain to extend their seasons into January.
But which team will wind up with the No. 1 seed? That question becomes more interesting after the events in Kansas City on Friday.
Although Sammy Watkins has missed time for the Chiefs this season, they trotted out their top offensive threats in every game. The Patrick Mahomes–Travis Kelce–Tyreek Hill–Kareem Hunt quartet led Kansas City to a 9-2 record — with losses coming by a combined six points against teams with a combined 18-4 record — and a runaway DVOA lead, but the NFL’s reigning rushing champion won’t be joining his former teammates Sunday in Oakland after the Chiefs cut him. Hunt totaled 1,202 yards from scrimmage for the Chiefs this season; no other K.C. back has more than 300. But next-man-up Spencer Ware did amass 1,368 for the 2016 Chiefs.
This may open the door for the franchise that has secured the AFC’s No. 1 seed in five of this decade’s eight seasons. Only two AFC franchises have held home field in the 2010s — New England and Denver — and no other team has represented the conference in a Super Bowl in six years.
The Chiefs have not had home-field advantage since 1997 but entered the week having the inside track to make the playoffs go through western Missouri. Football Outsiders gives Kansas City a 74 percent chance to lock down the No. 1 seed.
They have two games remaining against the 2-9 Raiders and also will be home against the Chargers, who haven’t won this matchup since 2013, and Ravens. The Chiefs must travel to Seattle in Week 16, and their margin for error may be slim.
The Patriots’ AFC East rivals are again cooperating with New England’s hopes of earning a bye and possibly the 1 seed, and three of the Pats’ final five games are against the Bills, Jets and Dolphins. Football Outsiders, however, gives the Patriots merely a 13 percent chance of securing home-field advantage. But they own head-to-head tiebreakers over the Chiefs and Texans. Despite this being a less-than-dominant Patriots edition (ninth DVOA, seventh in scoring offense, 12th on defense), they have an interesting chance to obtain home field again.
New England is 19-3 in Foxborough playoff games under Bill Belichick and 3-4 away from home in January, making that position rather important.
Football Outsiders tabs Houston, Pittsburgh and Los Angeles as long shots, with none carrying better than a 6.9 percent chance (the Texans) to avoid January travel.
Houston, though, leads the contender pack with the No. 4 DVOA defense and plays just one winning team — the 6-5 Colts — the rest of the way. The Texans are riding the longest win streak in football and are the first team to win eight straight after starting 0-3. The Steelers and Chargers will encounter tougher opposition. Games against the Bolts, Patriots (both at home) and Saints still loom for the Steelers. Road trips to Kansas City and Denver are ahead for the Chargers, who also host the Ravens in Week 16.
Los Angeles is fourth in weighted DVOA and, especially with Joey Bosa back, possesses a far superior defense to the Chiefs. Will that end up mattering come Week 15 in what’s been a one-sided rivalry as of late?
So, which one of these teams will end up with the conference’s coveted postseason real estate? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Who will be the AFC's No. 1 seed?
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Kansas City Chiefs 43% (392)
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New England Patriots 37% (339)
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Los Angeles Chargers 9% (82)
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Houston Texans 6% (51)
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Pittsburgh Steelers 5% (43)
Total votes: 907
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/28/18
Today’s practice squad updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Chris Jones
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Cyril Grayson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: OL Michael Dunn
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Troymaine Pope
- Released: LB Jonathan Celestin
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: WR Malachi Dupre
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Josh Carraway
Georgia Tech To Interview Ken Whisenhunt
FRIDAY: Whisenhunt will now not be flying to Atlanta this weekend to interview for the Georgia Tech job and is expected to now go sometime next week, ESPN’s Eric Williams tweets. Head coach Anthony Lynn has spoken with Whisenhunt about the job and says his focus is on the team’s upcoming game against the Steelers.
THURSDAY: Whisenhunt will indeed interview for the Georgia Tech position over the weekend, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
WEDNESDAY: Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt is “a top candidate” to take over as the head coach of Georgia Tech’s football program, ESPN.com’s Andy Rittenberg (on Twitter) hears. It’s not immediately clear whether Whisenhunt is interested in the position, but it stands to reason that he will be at least intrigued by the job since he played for the Yellow Jackets. 
Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson is expected to retire in the coming days, creating a vacancy. Whisenhunt, meanwhile, profiles as an extremely attractive candidate given the Bolts’ success in 2018.
Whisenhunt is in the midst of his second stint as the Chargers’ OC. His first run came in 2013, under then-head coach Mike McCoy. Whisenhunt left to become the Titans’ head coach for one-and-a-half seasons before returning in 2016. This year, Whisenhunt’s offense ranks sixth with 4,422 total yards and is tied for seventh with 27.9 points per game.
The Chargers, who are currently 8-3, will presumably make a competitive offer to the OC when/if he gets interest from other NFL and college teams. This Sunday, they’ll look for another W when they take on the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Chargers’ Melvin Gordon To Miss Time
The Chargers won in dominant fashion on Sunday, but it didn’t come without a price. Running back Melvin Gordon suffered a grade 2 MCL sprain against the Cardinals and will miss the “next few weeks,” according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). On the plus side, Gordon is expected to return before the regular season is through. 
Gordon has been positively stellar in his fourth pro season. Through ten games, Gordon has nine rushing touchdowns and has averaged 5.2 yards per carry. He also has 44 catches for 453 yards and four scores, positioning him as one of the league’s very best running backs.
Thanks in large part to his efficiency, the Chargers are 8-3 on the year and are virtually assured a spot in the playoffs, even if they cannot catch the Chiefs for the divisional lead. By the time Gordon is cleared to return, the Chargers may be in position to rest him – or at least ease his workload – before the postseason gets underway.
The Chargers will be without their top rusher when they face the Steelers on Sunday night and for their subsequent game against the Bengals on Dec. 9. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be available to play against the Chiefs on Dec. 13 and the Ravens on Dec. 22.
In the interim, the Chargers will lean a bit more on pass-catching specialist Austin Ekeler and fellow ‘backs Justin Jackson and Detrez Newsome.
Melvin Gordon Sustains MCL Injury
- Melvin Gordon might not be as fortunate. The Chargers‘ explosive starter may see his All-Pro bid put on hold because of a knee injury he sustained Sunday. Gordon left the Bolts’ win over the Cardinals because of an MCL malady, Eric Williams of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Gordon will undergo additional evaluation on Monday, but Williams notes there’s a real possibility the top-tier running back won’t be able to go next week against the Steelers. An MCL tear would put the rest of Gordon’s regular season in jeopardy. Gordon was battling a hamstring injury this week but suited up and scored twice before leaving the game.
Latest On Philip Rivers’ Future With Chargers
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is having, at age 36 (37 in less than two weeks), a career year. He has completed 67% of his passes for 2,860 yards and 23 touchdowns against just six interceptions, good for a 112.1 quarterback rating — which would be the highest of his career — and he is on the fringe of the MVP conversation. More importantly, his team sits at 7-3 and is in full control of its playoff destiny.
However, his contract expires at the end of the 2019 season, and between that and his advanced age, there are plenty of questions about his future with the club. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says the Chargers want Rivers to be their starting quarterback “for as long as he wants to do it” (video link). RapSheet notes that Rivers, who is owed just $11MM in base salary in 2019, is also due a $5MM roster bonus near the start of the 2019 league year in March, which Los Angeles is expected to pick up. The team will therefore be paying him $16MM next season unless they reach an extension before then, which is a bargain for a quarterback of his caliber.
Rapoport also suggests that Rivers wants to be the Bolts’ QB at least until the team moves into its new stadium, but the stadium will open in 2020, so that does not do much to clarify Rivers’ long-term future. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, it makes sense for player and team to have a frank, candid discussion about how long Rivers wants to play. The 2004 first-round pick has said that he would like to play for a few more seasons, but it is unclear exactly what that means, and the Chargers will need to know that before they go ahead and agree to pay Rivers a boatload of guaranteed money.
Rapoport says that the Chargers are willing to draft a quarterback and allow him to sit behind Rivers for several seasons, and depending on what Rivers tells them about his plans, that could happen as soon as 2019. Indeed, the Chargers were rumored as a potential fit for Baker Mayfield prior to the 2018 draft.
Chargers Claim DT T.Y. McGill
The player the Eagles cut to make room for Timmy Jernigan‘s activation did not clear waivers. Instead, T.Y. McGill will head to Los Angeles.
The Chargers claimed the defensive tackle off waivers from the Eagles. He’ll join a fourth team in four NFL seasons.
McGill played in two games for the Eagles this season. He was not on the Super Bowl LII team, playing last season with the Browns (three games). McGill’s most notable work came in his first two seasons, when the former UDFA suited up in 25 Colts games.
Los Angeles had a need on its defensive interior after losing Corey Liuget for the season. The Chargers announced the veteran defensive lineman underwent successful quad tendon surgery on Wednesday. He’ll soon head to IR and begin a six- to ninth-month recovery process. That would put Liuget on course for Bolts training camp, if the rehab unfolds as hoped.
Darius Philon will likely move into the Chargers’ starting lineup, and McGill will join Damion Square and third-round rookie Justin Jones as Bolts backups up front.
Chargers DT Corey Liuget Out For Season
Chargers coach Anthony Lynn told reporters defensive tackle Corey Liuget‘s season is over after he suffered a right knee injury in Week 11 vs. the Broncos, ESPN’s Eric D. Williams reports.
The Chargers just can’t buy a break on the defensive end. After losing linebacker Denzel Perryman for the year earlier this week, the team received good news on Sunday when Joey Bosa made his season debut. The celebration was short lived now with the injury bug striking the veteran Liuget, who sustained the blow in the first half of Sunday’s loss vs. Denver.
Since being drafted by the Chargers in the first round in 2011, Liuget has appeared in 108 games, with 102 coming as starts. His presence up the middle following a four-game suspension for violating the league’s performance enhancing drug policy has been key for Los Angeles in stopping the run.
In Liuget’s absence, the Chargers will likely turn to Darius Philon, who has made seven starts this season, and Justin Jones.
Joey Bosa To Return Today
It appears that Chargers star defensive end Joey Bosa will finally make his 2018 debut. Bosa has been dealing with a bone bruise all season long, but after returning to the practice field earlier this week, the third-year pro will finally see game action as the Bolts host the division rival Broncos this afternoon. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that his source would be “shocked” if Bosa does not play today (Twitter link).
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears the same thing, and he tweets that the number of snaps Bosa receives today will of course depend on how he feels. But Schefter noted that Bosa was part of the Chargers’ regular defensive rotation during practice, so he may even see close to a full workload.
In any event, Bosa’s return should be a huge boost to the 7-2 Chargers, who are still in the race for the AFC West title and who are certainly in the driver’s seat for a wildcard spot if nothing else. It is also particularly timely in light of the fact that Los Angeles just lost starting linebacker Denzel Perryman for the rest of the season.
In his first two NFL seasons, Bosa racked up a combined 23 sacks and 111 tackles. The Bolts have the former No. 3 overall pick under contract through 2019 and will control him through at least 2020 via the fifth year option. He earned Pro Bowl honors last season and will further aid a pass rush that has still been pretty productive in his absence. The Chargers’ pass defense is the eighth-best in the league, per Football Outsiders’ advanced metrics, and the team has compiled 26 sacks, which is the 10th-highest total in the league.