Mike Williams Ruled Out for Wild Card Round

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams has officially been diagnosed with a back fracture and will be unable to play in Saturday’s wild card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Williams suffered the injury against the Denver Broncos in Week 18, a game with no playoff implication for the Chargers. At the time of kickoff, Los Angeles played starters late into the second half. 

“These aren’t easy decisions,” said Chargers head coach Brandon Staley via ESPN, defending his decision to play starters following the game. “They’re not easy decisions and hindsight is perfect for everybody on the outside, but these games are not easy to manage. They’re not, because you don’t have that many players and we did it to the best of our ability.”

This will be Williams’ first season finishing top-ten in receiving DVOA. The Chargers have a -14.8% offensive passing DVOA in games without Williams. However, it should be noted that Williams’ absence also coincided with injuries to wide receiver Keenan Allen and center Corey Linsley.