Joe Alt set to miss Broncos, Ladd McConkey sits too

The bad news came first from Ian Rapoport on Wednesday night, and it came with a small piece of good news attached.

Ian Rapoport

@RapSheet

#Chargers Pro Bowl OT Joe Alt is expected to miss this Sunday’s game against the #Broncos with a neck injury, sources say. Alt continues to rehab the injury suffered last week at Seattle, and there are no plans for IR.

Rapoport says there are no plans for IR, and that's the good part. Alt keeps rehabbing, and this looks like a week-to-week thing, not a season-wrecker. The injury itself was ugly. In the loss to the Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori came in from behind trying to bring down Justin Herbert and crashed into Alt instead. Alt hurt his neck late in the first half, and Travis Burke finished the game at right tackle.

If it were only Alt, the Chargers could patch it. It isn't only Alt. Shortly after Rapoport's report came the rest of the Wednesday practice news.

Adam Schefter

@AdamSchefter

No practice today for either Chargers starting OT and WR Ladd McConkey.

Los Angeles Chargers@chargers

wednesday's injury report for week 5 vs DEN t.co/1xgJcHuFUy

When Schefter says 'either Chargers starting OT,' he means it. Left tackle Rashawn Slater also missed practice with an ankle injury, so both of Herbert's bookends are sitting. The official Wednesday report had 8 players not practicing, Alt, Slater and McConkey among them. Derwin James and Donte Jackson sat with hamstrings, Trevor Penning sat with a concussion, and Khalil Mack got a veteran rest day.

Then there's McConkey. He was questionable going into Seattle with a foot injury and got ruled out mid-game after 2 targets and 0 catches. Jim Harbaugh has called him week-to-week, so missing Wednesday fits. That's Herbert's best route-runner out, plus both starting tackles, in a division game against a Denver pass rush that loves exactly this kind of mismatch.

Herbert has spent his whole career making plays behind lines held together with tape, and Alt and Slater have rarely both been healthy at once. This Sunday at SoFi could be the worst version of that yet. Thursday and Friday's practice reports will tell us whether McConkey has any shot. If Alt dresses, that's a surprise. If he doesn't, the Chargers are asking backups to block the Broncos for 60 minutes, and Herbert is going to take hits.