Chargers star Rashawn Slater battling injury, MRI trip before playoffs

Lost a bit in the Los Angeles Chargers winning the season finale and setting up a postseason showdown with the Houston Texans was the loss of elite offensive tackle Rashawn Slater to injury.

Slater was a surprise inactive for the game against the Las Vegas Raiders, with the team telling reporters that his knee didn’t feel right during pregame stretches.

After the win, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said that Slater will have an MRI as soon as possible.

That’s not exactly what the Chargers want to hear just before an elimination game in the postseason.

Slater is one of the NFL’s top offensive tackles and the problem hardly ends there. Against the Raiders, the coaching staff had to shake up most of the entire starting offensive line to compensate for the loss. One of the guys who moved, Trey Pipkins III, was carted off with an injury before returning to the sideline later.

If the Chargers are lucky, all of this surrounding Slater is the team taking a super precautious stance with one of its best players. If not, a big lineup change in the playoffs against a Texans defense that boasts stellar pass-rushers like Will Anderson Jr. is not a great way to start the week.