SAN DIEGO -- With a short week to prepare for a road contest against the Cleveland Browns this week, San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon was unable to practice Tuesday -- not a good sign for his prospects of playing this weekend.
The Chargers do not have to release an injury report updating Gordon’s status until Wednesday.
Gordon missed last week’s loss to the Oakland Raiders with a hip strain and knee sprain suffered two weeks ago against the Carolina Panthers.
“We’ll do what’s best for Melvin, No. 1,” Chargers coach Mike McCoy said. “We’re going to always look out and say, ‘OK, is he ready to go?’ Once he’s ready to go and we get the clearance, then we’ll re-evaluate that.
“From the minute he was injured, he said he’s coming back to help our team win. So he’s got a great mindset right now, and we’ll just take it one day at a time with him.”
You can understand why Gordon wants to get back on the field this week. The Chargers face a Cleveland defense that allows 155 rushing yards a contest, second-worst in the NFL. And Gordon remains just three yards short of reaching 1,000 yards for the first time in his pro career.
Gordon was voted as a third-alternate for the Pro Bowl this week.
Undrafted rookie Kenneth Farrow started in place of Gordon last week, finishing with 39 rushing yards and a costly fumble at the end of the game. Farrow likely will get his second career start if Gordon can’t play.
“He didn’t do a bad job,” McCoy said about Farrow. “Unfortunately he had the fumble, and that’s a big minus. But I think he had some tough, physical runs in there where he was going downhill and making that one cut. It wasn’t always perfect, but he made the most of it.”
Here’s a closer look at the snap counts for the Chargers in their 19-16 loss to the Oakland Raiders in Week 15:
OFFENSE (Based on 55 snaps)
Quarterback – Philip Rivers 55.
Running back – Kenneth Farrow 41, Ronnie Hillman 13, Derek Watt 6.
Wide receiver – Tyrell Williams 52, Dontrelle Inman 48, Travis Benjamin 29, Geremy Davis 3.
Tight end – Antonio Gates 35, Hunter Henry 29, Sean McGrath 19.
Offensive line – Matt Slauson 55, Joe Barksdale 55, Orlando Franklin 55, D.J. Fluker 48, King Dunlap 43, Chris Hairston 12, Spencer Pulley 7.
Offensive analysis: Henry had his seventh touchdown catch of the season. All seven have come in San Diego’s last 10 games and are the most touchdown catches in the NFL by a rookie tight end. ... The Chargers scored a touchdown on their opening possession, their eighth game-opening touchdown of the season. That leads the league.
DEFENSE (Based on 62 snaps)
Line – Corey Liuget 56, Joey Bosa 51, Damion Square 46, Ryan Carrethers 18 Darius Philon 10.
Linebacker – Melvin Ingram 62, Denzel Perryman 49, Jatavis Brown 48, Kyle Emanuel 30, Korey Toomer 11, Chris Landrum 11.
Secondary – Jahleel Addae 62, Dwight Lowery 61, Casey Hayward 58, Trevor Williams 58, Trovon Reed 33, Adrian Phillips 18.
Defensive analysis: The Chargers held the Raiders to 1-of-7 in the red zone on Sunday. ... Reed had an interception for one of San Diego’s two takeaways and his second career interception in the last two games. The Chargers extended their streak as the only team in the NFL with a takeaway in every game this season. Dating to last season, the Chargers have at least one takeaway in 20 straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL.
