Is Josh Gordon playing tonight vs Chargers in TNF Week 15?
Josh Gordon has become somewhat of an afterthought in the offense of the Kansas City Chiefs. Most of his earlier absences in his NFL career were drug-related.
However, this time, his availability isn't in question because of drugs. What is the issue with Gordon?
Will he be available to suit up for tonight's Thursday Night Football showdown against the Los Angeles Chargers?
Josh Gordon's availability against the Los Angeles Chargers
Gordon is not expected to be available for Thursday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers. Gordon contracted COVID-19, and, according to CBS Sports, will miss the game.
His loss hurts an offense that is still trying to hit its stride this season.
Josh Gordon back in an NFL endzone.. Good for him man
Mahomes' once explosive, shockingly accurate arm has been replaced by an average quarterback arm that can move the ball down the field, but tends to struggle on deep passes and in redzone situations.
With an offense already in decline, not having a jump-ball threat on the team could hurt.
First TD for Josh Gordon since 2019 🙌 https://t.co/pSlMPdsw5n
With the Chiefs already down a game against the Chargers from earlier in the season, the Chiefs need all the help they can get to seek out a win in primetime.
The Chiefs are only a game ahead of the Chargers, and a Chargers win could put them in first place in the AFC West.
If this happens, the Chiefs will be in second place in the division in December for the first time in years. The last time this happened was when Peyton Manning was fresh in the minds of the NFL zeitgeist.
To avoid this, the Chiefs need to take care of business in a similar fashion to how they defended their lead against the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football earlier this season.
To be fair, the Chiefs didn't have to do much and they knew it. They simply didn't turn the ball over too much, and allowed the Broncos to self-implode.
That strategy worked because the Broncos rarely featured in primetime, and the moment seemed a bit too big for them.
The Chargers won't have the same issue with quarterback Justin Herbert, who has played well in plenty of primetime games in his early career.
To beat the Chargers, the Chiefs will need the best game they've played all year tonight. It can be done without Gordon, but it becomes that much harder and puts more pressure on the Chiefs' defense.
Also Read: What year did Peyton Manning win the Super Bowl?