The last two times the Jacksonville Jaguars played the Los Angeles Chargers were back in 2022. They won both contests. A lot has transpired since then. For instance, both teams have changed head coaches in that span. On the other hand, a few things have remained the same.
Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert are still the quarterbacks for Jacksonville and the Bolts, respectively. Similarly, 2022 marked the year Khalil Mack landed in Los Angeles. He's still around, but his status for these teams' Week 11 matchup will be worth monitoring following recent news.
The Chargers placed Khalil Mack on Injured Reserve
The Los Angeles Chargers have announced that Khalil Mack will be placed on Injured Reserve after suffering an elbow injury in the Monday Night Football win over the Las Vegas Raiders. This means that he'll miss at least four games.
Mack suffered the aforementioned elbow injury early in the Week 2 bout against Las Vegas. He left afterwards and didn't return. Based on Los Angeles' latest update, the severity of the injury is now clear.
A first-round pick by the then-Oakland Raiders in 2014, Mack became a pass-rush force in the NFL right off the bat, earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in his first NFL season. By his sophomore campaign, he had already posted his first 10-sack campaign and earned his first Pro Bowl designation.
Mack won Defensive Player of the Year in 2016. Rightly, he deserved to be one of the highest-paid pass rushers in the NFL, but the Raiders instead chose to trade him to the Chicago Bears in 2018 in exchange for a pair of draft picks. The Buffalo product went on to spend five seasons in the Windy City and landed with the Chargers in 2022. Since then, he's made 52 starts and logged a productive 32 sacks, nine forced fumbles, and 21 passes defensed.
The Jaguars could still face Khalil Mack in Week 11
Keep in mind that, as of this writing, the Chargers game is nearly two months away, and Khalil Mack didn't land on season-ending injury reserve. This means that he could be back as soon as Week 7, so he may be available for the Jaguars game in Week 11.
Now, there's also a chance that Mack won't suit up. And if he does, he may not be at full strength if the injury lingers, and if that's the case, the Jags could get an edge. Already, their offensive line has been a pleasant surprise, getting ranked as one of the best in the NFL.
If Mack does play, he'll face left tackle Walker Little, who's off to a promising start to 2025. The 2021 second-round pick had a strong offseason and has given up just one sack in two games.
The bottom line is that the Jaguars have the pieces to take on the Chargers when they face them later in the season, but not having to face off against Khalil Mack would most definitely be welcomed.