Melvin Gordon Gets a Shot to go over 1,000 Yards

It looks like Melvin Gordon will get his chance Sunday.

The San Diego Chargers haven’t had a reliable running back since LaDainian Tomlinson left. They drafted Ryan Mathews at No. 12 overall in 2010 but when you’re injured a lot, you’re not reliable. And that’s what the Chargers need to help quarterback Philip Rivers.

But Mathews had his moments, one of them being the last Charger to rush for over 1,000 yards in 2013. Then two years later, the Chargers drafted Melvin Gordon in the first round. And things didn’t look so good at first as he struggled as a rookie.

He didn’t manage to find the endzone even once and had a bit of a fumbling problem. So Gordon put the work in and has put together a solid second season. Gordon went from zero TDs to 10 in Year 2 and he still has one game left.

He also has an opportunity to rush for over 1,000 yards, something every running back wants. Gordon was on pace to go well over that until knee and hip injuries kept him out the last two weeks. He has but three more yards to get to that milestone Sunday.

But there was doubt earlier this week as to whether or not he would play. Of course, Gordon badly wants to play in order to get his first 1,000-yard season in the NFL. He has been in the media all week, lobbying to play against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 17.

And it looks like he’s going to play as Gordon participated in practice for the second day in a row Thursday. That suggests that he’s likely to play on Sunday against the Chiefs’ bad run defense. He should hit the mark with his first carry of the game.

Running the ball is how you beat the Chiefs so he might go over 1,100 yards!