Williams suffered a small fracture in his back during last week’s meaningless game against the Denver Broncos.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mike Williams’ absence from the Chargers’ AFC wild-card game Saturday against the Jacksonville Jaguars was noteworthy for several reasons, not least of which was that it deprived quarterback Justin Herbert of his top playmaker, a wide receiver capable of making remarkable catches.Williams’ leaping, one-handed catch along the sideline during the Chargers’ victory over the Rams in Week 17 stands out as one of the more amazing receptions of the season.
Scans taken on Sunday in Denver and Monday in Southern California revealed no structural damage, but when Williams was re-tested Friday, a small fracture was detected and he was ruled out of Saturday’s playoff game. He had been listed as“I didn’t know how serious it was,” Staley said Thursday of his first comments last Sunday concerning Williams’ injury. “I wasn’t given the indication that anything was significantly wrong with him, so that was what was told to me.
“What you are trying to do is set a standard for your program about how you do things. That is what I believe in. I didn’t want anybody to get hurt in that game, regardless of their status, because everybody is important.” Staley’s decision-making also was questioned when he left Herbert in the Chargers’ Week 3 loss to the Jaguars at SoFi Stadium, with the game firmly in Jacksonville’s grasp in the fourth quarter and Herbert hurting after suffering fractured rib cartilage one week earlier against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Herbert looked stiff and uncomfortable from start to finish in that game, but he regained his mobility and accuracy in the weeks that followed. He benefited from Williams and Keenan Allen recovering from nagging early-season injuries. He only had one of the two available Saturday, though.Cameron Dicker, the Chargers’ third kicker this season, was honored as the AFC’s special teams player of the month for December and January.
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