Aug 9, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews (24) runs the ball as Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk (50) persues the play during the first quarter at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE
The San Diego Chargers opened up their 2012 campaign with a 21-13 preseason victory over the Green Bay Packers. While the game goes down as a win on paper, the team suffered a major loss on the field. Starting running back Ryan Mathews suffered a broken clavicle and will undergo surgery on Friday.
Mathews is expected to miss four to six weeks of action.
Chargers head coach Norv Turner addressed the media and spoke about Mathews’ injury after the game. While you know Turner has to be devastated to see Mathews go down, he showed that he still has faith in Mathews returning to have a big season.
“My hopes for Ryan (Mathews) have not changed. … I still expect him to have a great year,” Turner said.
Mathews has been labeled as an “injury prone” back throughout his career. The ability to stay healthy was a major concern when the Chargers lost running back Mike Tolbert this offseason. As it looks, Mathews is made of glass after all and the Chargers would really like to bring Tolbert back.
Hopefully Mathews can make a speedy recovery and become a top contributor in 2012. He worked hard this offseason to get the chance for a breakout year and this setback has to be a big blow to his psyche.
It’s not only Mathews that wants to come back in top form. Those early bird fantasy football players who expected big things from Mathews are hoping their top pick was not spent on a back set to have an injury plagued season.
