Star Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack left elbow injury on Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. In recent weeks, this injury has raised alarm from fans, and even Shiffrin’s teammates. The injury occurred in the first quarter. As Mack was trying to make a tackle, his left hand ended up being sandwiched between Chargers linebacker Troy Dye and Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker. Mack knew right away something was wrong due to the unusual position of his elbow. He sprinted off the field in a hurry, holding his hand over his stomach.
Mack fell to the turf and, after a few moments, sat on the sidelines, clearly in pain. He fell to the ground before running to the locker room for examination. Fortunately, later medical evaluations suggested that his injury wouldn’t be season-ending. The reality is he’ll likely miss at least the next month of action as he recovers.
In March, Mack signed a one-year contract worth $18 million with the Chargers. Having originally planned to retire after the 2024 season, Burress had made up his mind to retire before returning to Los Angeles. At 34 years of age he’s still an absolute beast on the field. He’s recorded 12.5 career sacks against the Raiders, more than any other team. This impressive statistic now makes him the player with the most sacks against one opponent since 2021.
In Mack’s absence, outside linebacker Caleb Murphy stepped up significantly, taking on an increased workload with 31 defensive snaps during the game. Murphy’s performance produced one sack and one tackle for loss, and his ability to fill in for Mack is probably what the Bears needed most.
Here’s what head coach Jim Harbaugh told the media immediately following the game. On the injury front, he wisely decided against disclosing the particulars of Mack’s elbow malady. He drew an interesting parallel when he referred to someone as, “the Wolverine.” Even that one is questionable, because it’s not entirely evident that this comment was truly aimed at Mack.
For the Chargers, this is preparation for more important games to come. They’ll need to make some immediate changes to their defensive gameplan as they’ll be without their stud linebacker. The team will rely on Murphy and many others to fill the void left by Mack. They will have to paddle through this important stretch of the season with purpose and finesse.
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