The loss of Melvin Gordon for the next few weeks is

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obviously big. Just how big of a loss is it? Can the offense maintain their same level of play without him?Richard Wade: I think the loss of Melvin Gordon is substantial , but not catastrophic. At the end of the day, no matter how good a running back is, and Gordon has been very good, they are still just a running back. Austin Ekeler is not as good as Gordon in some areas, but he is actually better in others. Justin Jackson is obviously not on the same level as either of them, but he is a capable player, and in the infrastructure of the Chargers’ offense, that is good enough for your RB2. The red zone offense will probably suffer somewhat, but there is no reason the Chargers cannot continue to play at a high level on the offensive side of the ball.Matthew Stanley: The loss of MG3 is large no doubt. Gordon is having his most complete season as a pro and is really hitting his stride as a RB in this offense. However I think the Chargers will be able to weather this storm. Austin Ekeler is an EXTREMELY capable RB and a super versatile weapon. Justin Jackson and Detrez Newsome are both serviceable backs who can produce in small doses. Philip Rivers apparently has reached Buddhist Monk levels of focus after the loss to the Broncos and if that continues it should keep the offense rolling as well. Not to mention, with Joey Bosa back the defense looks to be firing on all cylinders and will take pressure off of the offense. Hopefully this will save MG3’s legs from fatigue while he is rehabbing and resting and he can come back for the final push and the playoffs with semi-fresh legs.Michael Peterson: The loss of Gordon is a heavy blow that will hang on the team on amd off the field. However, we all know Ekeler is more than capable while Justin Jackson wasn’t too shabby in garbage time yesterday. Newsome also has experience playing with the ones in the preseason so the there isn’t a big “unknown” variable in the RB situation. The passing game still hummed along without Tyrell Williams and I believe yesterday’s game is exactly what the team needed to get their heads right.Daniel Stebbins: Losing Melvin Gordon is less than ideal, obviously. As others have said, he’s having a career season and even beyond the stats he’s clearly taken a giant leap in the right direction. That being said, Austin Ekeler is ready for the increased role in the offense that many have wanted for him the entire season. Ekeler offers things that Gordon doesn’t so while it won’t be a one for one exchange, I believe he can match production. Additionally , the guys behind Ekeler were both promising (Jackson in college, Newsome in preseason) and should be ready to pitch in as needed. Both had over 100 receptions in college, as well as being very productive running, so they shouldn’t handcuff the offense as far as their versatility goes. The offense may not look exactly the same, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be just as effective.Ruben J. Gonzalez: The loss of Melvin Gordon will be a tough pill to swallow, but in the end it may just make the team better for it. The Chargers have a pretty good backup in Austin Ekeler and I think giving him an extended look will really open the eyes of the coaching staff in how to deploy him. He sometimes gets underutilized in this offense and it’s time that the team considers him a real weapon in this offense. Is there a big difference in Gordon/Ekeler? Sure, but its not as wide as some may think. Austin is good. He will show just how good he is in the next few weeks. Besides, Joey Bosa is back, right!Mike Murray: Is the loss of Gordon that big at all? There is a capable replacement in Ekeler. The drop off between Gordon and Ekeler is not that big. Mostly they will miss Gordons punishing runs and his redzone effectiveness. Ekeler while not as physical as Gordon also has a nose for the endzone and is a bit more elusive in space and between the tackles. Also, this offense has so many weapons. The passing game should go unaffected. I think the biggest loss may be his inspiring runs where he refuses to go down. They seemed to have a way of pumping up the offense.Jake Hefner: I consider the loss of Gordon to be considerable, to a certain extent. It’s obvious that The Chargers offense is much different with him when he is not on the field. We saw that when he was out for the game against Tennessee. Because Gordon has blossomed into a such a complete back, It leaves a lot for opposing defenses to prepare for. Gordon’s production has assisted the in the tempo of the offense and given flexibility to Rivers to produce in the passing game. That being said, I believe that this team can produce with a committee running back group of Ekeler and Jackson. It will be up to Whiz and Lynn to tailor the offense to put both of those RB’s in a position that plays to their strengths. I don’t believe Whiz put Ekeler in a position to succeed against Tennessee. Hopefully he can improve in his game plan with Ekeler as the starter. The Chargers face the 10th, 31st and 20th ranked rushing defenses over the next three weeks, so it is possible for them to sustain the loss of Gordon. Louis Gorini: First of all I’ve probably been one of the biggest Gordon supporter since they have drafted him , almost to a fault. So no one is more team Gordon than me. That being said, the loss of Gordon is not a big deal at all and probably a blessing in disguise. It’s better that they lose Gordon now than later in the season where he wouldn’t be back for the playoffs. And they will now have time to devise an offensive plan without Gordon in the upcoming weeks. December is brutal stretch of games for LA and the Chargers could be facing many teams that they will be facing in the playoffs (Steelers, Ravens, Broncos). The good thing here is that if the Chargers face these teams for the second time during the playoffs, the opposing teams will have to adjust to facing Gordon for the first time so it would be like they are facing a completely different offense. Now the caveat to this is the Chargers have to make the playoffs and I think they do.What do you think? Is the sky falling or will the Chargers’ offense be okay while Gordon is out? With the team’s final selection of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Chargers elected to add some stability to their running back room in the form of Justin Jackson. While a limited player, Jackson’s production at Northwestern was worth a second look for most NFL franchises. Rushing for 1,000 plus yards all four seasons for the Wildcats, Jackson’s senior season came with some hope for the future. Collecting 11 touchdowns and averaging 4.6 yards per carry, Jackson projected to be a situational back or potential third down back. A rough preseason out on the coast, however, led Los Angeles to waive him following the team’s final outing in September. He went unclaimed and was placed on the team’s practice squad. By week 4, he was upgraded to the team’s active roster. In Week 14, thanks to a short week and injuries, Jackson will have a chance to make his mark with the Chargers offense as the team’s starter. Los Angeles’ injury woes have been costly to the team this season , and, while still young and inexperienced, Jackson is the last resort at running back this Thursday as the team travels to Arrowhead Stadium for a matchup against the first place Kansas City Chiefs. “You can teach vision. You can work with a guy’s footwork and his run-reads, but what Justin has — is instincts,” Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said. “That is something you cannot teach. He has better instincts than a lot of people would, and that’s why he’s been so successful over his running back career.”The rookie running back saw his role steadily increase over the past several games with the loss of Melvin Gordon. The Pro Bowl running back was forced to leave early in Week 12 against the Arizona Cardinals with a knee injury. Results showed that the former top 15 draft selection was expected to miss multiple weeks and could be limited for the remainder of the season. With Austin Ekeler expected to take on a more prominent role, it was Jackson that impressed a majority of fans that Sunday night. While Ekeler still was productive in the passing game, it was Jackson who found success on the ground. Rushing for 63 yards and a touchdown, the former Wildcat standout showed growth in the ability to make defenders miss in the open field. His speed wasn’t perfect, but his clean cuts and juking skills made his overall night a memorable one. “I saw that’s been waiting on the runway. Waiting for his opportunity. When he got it, I thought he took full advantage of it. He’s not banged up at all. He’s fresh, and that’s what we brought him here for. This time of year, a lot of young backs have to step up and play, and he was ready.”With Ekeler now on the injured list, Jackson will share carries with Detrez Newsome and perhaps Derek Watt. But a majority of runs will come from Jackson , who still is getting used to life in the NFL. Before his real first chance at secondary running back against Arizona, Jackson rushed for just seven yards on five carries. Even after an excellent performance in Pittsburgh, Jackson faced the harsh reality of a setback against the Bengals. While Los Angeles pulled out the victory, Jackson’s stat line suffered a loss. Rushing for just 12 yards on seven carries, the 23-year-old running back averaged only 1.7 yards per carry. But there’s always a light at the end of every dark tunnel. For Jackson’s tunnel, Thursday’s starting nod comes in the form of Kansas City’s run defense. The unit ranks 25th in the league heading down the stretch. It’s not hard to realize that Tom Telesco and the Chargers staff was smart for electing to keep Jackson around in whatever role possible. There’s talent there waiting to break out into a more prominent role. That wish is about to be real for Jackson on Thursday. ”Justin has done a great job of really staying on — you know, when we picked him late in the draft, one of the things that stood out was his production from college,” Chargers coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “We didn’t see as much of that maybe in the OTAs and training camp. He was nicked up a bit, but he did enough to make the roster, and he’s really been doing a good job on the scout team. That’s a credit to him. If you ever wanted to have a model for this is why you work on those teams to prepare you, it showed up last week.”While the Chargers injury bug continues to be a problem for the staff moving closer towards the playoff, Jackson could be another diamond in the rough. The team has found ways to win with limited talent and currently hold the second best record in the AFC.All it takes is one run to change the course of a game. For Jackson, he’ll be given plenty of opportunities to make that run possible.

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