Teacher and pupil approach Monday night from similar difficult circumstances: the Bears at 2-5, the San Diego Chargers standing 2-6, losing four straight. Coach John Fox and Chargers coach Mike McCoy, who was on Fox?s staffs in Carolina and Denver, share a common contributing factor, that of coaching injury riddled teams.
McCoy saw 12 different players come out of last Sunday?s San Diego loss to Baltimore, capping an injury run that quarterback Philip Rivers described as ?just crazy.? That has included wide receiver Keenan Allen, on pace for one of the best pass-catching seasons in Chargers history, now done with a kidney injury.
The Bears won?t have wideout Eddie Royal (knee) and will have had Royal and Alshon Jeffery active for the same game just three times in eight games. They lost their projected field-stretcher Kevin White before even training camp started when the rookie suffered a stress fracture to his lower right leg. They will be starting their fifth different offensive line in the span of eight games on Monday night.
The Bears were in position to win each of the last four games, escaping with wins over Oakland and Kansas City but losing the division games to Detroit in overtime and Minnesota on a last-second Vikings field goal. The Chargers are just 2-2 at home, with their only wins coming over Detroit (1-7) and Cleveland (2-6). They?ve lost their last four straight, by four, seven, eight and three points.
Neither team is likely to pull far away from the other (San Diego amasses huge yardage but without points to show for it.
McCoy saw 12 different players come out of last Sunday?s San Diego loss to Baltimore, capping an injury run that quarterback Philip Rivers described as ?just crazy.? That has included wide receiver Keenan Allen, on pace for one of the best pass-catching seasons in Chargers history, now done with a kidney injury.
The Bears won?t have wideout Eddie Royal (knee) and will have had Royal and Alshon Jeffery active for the same game just three times in eight games. They lost their projected field-stretcher Kevin White before even training camp started when the rookie suffered a stress fracture to his lower right leg. They will be starting their fifth different offensive line in the span of eight games on Monday night.
The Bears were in position to win each of the last four games, escaping with wins over Oakland and Kansas City but losing the division games to Detroit in overtime and Minnesota on a last-second Vikings field goal. The Chargers are just 2-2 at home, with their only wins coming over Detroit (1-7) and Cleveland (2-6). They?ve lost their last four straight, by four, seven, eight and three points.
Neither team is likely to pull far away from the other (San Diego amasses huge yardage but without points to show for it.
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