Losing to his older brother John Harbaugh and seeing the Los Angeles Chargers’ four-game winning streak come to an end on Monday night might not be the biggest concern for Jim Harbaugh this week.
The Chargers are now anxiously waiting to find out if running back J.K. Dobbins has a serious injury after he left the game with a knee problem late in the first half of their 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Harbaugh, who usually avoids talking about injuries and responds to questions about a player’s status with, “I’m not a doctor,” will likely face many questions about Dobbins’ condition this week.
There were no updates on Dobbins’ health by Tuesday. The Chargers will have a short week of practice before traveling to Atlanta.
After injuries slowed Dobbins’ career during his four years with the Ravens, he decided to take a chance on himself by signing a one-year deal with the Chargers.
Up until this point in the season, his decision seemed to be paying off. Dobbins had gained 40 yards on six carries before he was tackled awkwardly by linebacker Malik Harrison and then was hit by several defenders, losing yards on a third-and-1 play at the 50-yard line.
Dobbins is currently fourth in the AFC in rushing with 766 yards and averages 4.8 yards per carry, which is the third-highest among AFC running backs with at least 100 carries. After recovering from a torn Achilles tendon suffered in last season’s opening game, Dobbins had been considered a candidate for the AP Comeback Player of the Year award.
His strong performance this season had helped balance the Chargers’ offense. Before Dobbins got injured, the team had 14 rushes for 68 yards. But after his injury, they only managed seven carries for 15 yards for the rest of the game.
Without Dobbins, and with a 14-13 deficit at halftime, the Chargers tried to rely on Justin Herbert and the passing game to make a comeback. Herbert completed 11 of 22 passes for 125 yards and was sacked three times during the five drives after Dobbins left the game. The Chargers didn’t score again until Gus Edwards’ 1-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds left.
If Dobbins has to miss games, Edwards will be expected to take on the role of the starting running back. Edwards missed four games earlier in the season due to an ankle injury and has gained 93 yards on 25 carries in the three games since returning.
Hassan Haskins and rookie Kimani Vidal will be asked to step in and provide backup.
“Obviously, I’m hoping J.K. is OK. Gus has been an awesome addition, being able to run and go and get some yards,” Herbert said. “We just got to stay with it. I think that offensive line has done a great job all year. It didn’t go our way today, but we’re going to keep pounding the ball and keep getting after it.”
Dobbins’ injury comes at a tough time for the Chargers. With a 7-4 record, they currently hold the sixth seed in the AFC, but they will face challenging games in the next four weeks against playoff hopefuls Atlanta (6-5), Kansas City (10-1), Tampa Bay (5-6), and Denver (7-5).
