Los Angeles Chargers starting running back Austin Ekeler missed his second consecutive game this week due to an ankle injury. Ekeler played in Week 1 but injured his ankle in the fourth quarter in the Chargers' 36-34 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Ahead of Week 4, his status is very much up in the air. The Chargers certainly could do with a little more firepower heading into next week, given that head coach Brandon Staley has widely been tipped by NFL analysts to be on the hot seat. The Chargers picked up a slender 28-24 win over the Vikings (who are dealing with issues themselves), but the manner of their victory didn't convince analysts of their credentials.
Austin Ekeler injury update
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Austin Ekeler was questionable in Week 2 and didn't play, but in Week 3, he was immediately ruled out.
Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley has said that Ekeler is working hard to get back but didn't give a clear update. However, the running back spoke on the Ekeler’s Edge podcast and said that he's day-to-day:
“Dealing with the ankle. I’ve dealt with ankles in the past. You’ve just got to get it to a point where you feel good, where it’s taped up and you can actually feel like, ‘If I get tackled, it’s not going to be re-aggravated and set me back to where I was before, where I could barely walk on it.’
“It’s not something that’s going to be like, ‘Ah, he’s out for several months’ type of thing. It’s a day-to-day, week-to-week situation. I like the progress that I’ve made so far. Hopefully (I'm) back sooner than later.”
The Los Angeles Chargers haven't officially ruled out Austin Ekeler for their Week 4 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
What happened to Austin Ekeler?
Austin Ekeler left in the fourth quarter during the Chargers' Week 1 loss due to an ankle injury. What exactly happened to his ankle is still uncertain, with Los Angeles only saying that it's an ankle injury.
Ekeler has been relatively healthy in his career. His Week 2 miss was the first game he missed due to injury since 2021. He missed only nine games in his first six seasons before his latest ankle injury.
When will Austin Ekeler return?
At the moment, Austin Ekeler hasn't been ruled out of the Los Angeles Chargers' Week 4 game. Given that he said that he's day-to-day on his podcast, he's hoping to return this week. There were rumors that Ekeler was close to suiting up this past weekend, however, there's been no word on whether the franchise will have their star running back for Week 4 just yet.
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