Los Angeles Chargers rookie running back Omarion Hampton is the injured name to watch ahead of his team’s game against the New England Patriots in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs. Hampton spent a chunk of his rookie year on injured reserve, then returned in December to help the Chargers win three key games down the stretch.

After a disappointing loss in the wild card round, the Chargers received a positive injury update about their star offensive tackle

Chargers offensive line injuries: How Joe Alt, Rashawn Slater losses have impacted Justin Herbert, Los Angeles offense originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The star offensive tackle told ESPN’s Kris Rhim the following: "It sucked. I love ball. This is like what I do every single day. I don't really go on vacation much. I kind of just work out all the time and think about playing football.

See who's in and who's out for the Week 18 matchup between the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers on January 4, 2026.

The Chargers quarterback had surgery on the non-throwing hand on Dec. 1 and played through it up until last weekend, when the Chargers opted to rest him with an eye toward Wild Card weekend. Ahead of Sunday’s game against the Patriots, Herbert offered an update on the hand injury a week and a half removed from his last game action.

This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Final Chargers injury report: Who's out, questionable vs. Patriots Our full breakdown of Patriots-Chargers, including favorite bets on the game and where the betting action is currently.

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel revealed on Wednesday that he expects star cornerback Christian Gonzalez to practice.