The Chargers will be without running back J.K. Dobbins this Sunday against the Falcons. Dobbins was ruled out with a knee injury he sustained in the Week 12 loss to the Ravens.
Los Angeles will lean on Gus Edwards and rookie Kimani Vidal without its top back. Greg Roman indicated that the sixth-round pick of this year’s draft will have an expanded role this weekend.
“He’s been in there before,” Roman said about Vidal. “Might get a little bit bigger workload, we’ll see. We have full confidence in him and where he’s at. It’s past the midway point of the season, so there are no rookies anymore. Everybody feels great about him.”
Vidal has been active for four games this season. In his regular season debut against the Broncos in Week 6, when Edwards was sidelined, he caught a 38-yard touchdown. On the ground, Vidal has only amassed 44 yards on 18 carries (2.4 YPC).
The former Troy product exemplified a back with a skill set that could translate at the pro level, and the numbers backed it up. In his final collegiate season, Vidal posted 1,661 yards and 14 touchdowns on 295 carries, with 94 forced missed tackles and 19 carries of 15+ yards.
The Chargers hope he and Edwards can step in and provide positive production against a Falcons defense that ranks 19th against the run.