Broncos vs. Chargers NFL injury report: Nick Hardwick, Ryan Mathews miss practice for San Diego

The San Diego Chargers were without center Nick Hardwick and running back Ryan Mathews at practice on Wednesday, while the Denver Broncos remain relatively healthy.

by James Brady

Jan 9, 2014, 1:33 AM UTC

Stan Liu-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos both took to the practice field on Wednesday, and there's a few significant names worth looking at on the injury report. Both teams have wrapped up practice, and we'll start with a look at the Chargers.

San Diego was without running back Ryan Mathews, the biggest name for either team at this point. Mathews is dealing with an ankle injury that has had him missing practice and questionable for multiple weeks now. It is worth noting, however, that Mathews hasn't practiced on a Wednesday since Week 16, when he was a limited participant.

Since that day, Mathews has been resting on Wednesdays and Thursdays, taking part in a limited practice on Friday and then playing in the game on Sunday. Nobody has said anything of the young running back suffering a setback, so we can assume that he’s on the same schedule as before.

Still, Mathews has been great in recent weeks and it would be a big deal if he's less than 100 percent. He does have a significant injury history, though, so the Chargers are likely just trying to lighten his load. There are some other big names on the list, including center Nick Hardwick and safety Eric Weddle.

Weddle’s injury shouldn’t keep him out, as he was a limited participant on Wednesday, but Hardwick’s absence from practice confirms he did sustain a concussion the last time out. Hardwick will go through the league’s concussion protocol, meaning he has to be cleared for practice and then cleared for play later in the week.

The Broncos, meanwhile, are relatively healthy. Defensive end Derek Wolfe missed practice, and he's their biggest name. He's listed as absent with an illness, though he has practiced just twice since No. 29, when he suffered "seizure-like symptoms" on the team's bus. His status is very up in the air at this point, and it would be surprising to see him play.

But other than Wolfe, the Broncos had a full roster of players at practice. Cornerback Champ Bailey was listed with a shoulder injury, which is worth noting, but he was a full participant in practice. In fact, no players were even limited on Sunday. Duke Ihenacho and Steve Vallos are both fully cleared to practice and did so in full, and defensive end Shaun Phillips, who was recently ill, also practiced in full.

Here’s the full participation report below:

Chargers

Did Not Participate

T D.J. Fluker (ankle)
C Nick Hardwick (neck, concussion)
RB Ryan Mathews (ankle)
WR Eddie Royal (toe)

Limited Participation

G Jeromey Clary (shoulder)
DE Sean Lissemore (shoulder)
S Eric Weddle (hamstring)

Full Participation

T King Dunlap (ankle)
DE Kendall Reyes (ankle)

Broncos

Did Not Participate

DE Derek Wolfe (illness)

Full Praticipation

CB Champ Bailey (shoulder)
TE Joel Dreessen (knee)
S Duke Ihenacho (concussion)
T Winston Justice (finger)
G Chris Kuper (ankle)
QB Peyton Manning (ankle)
C Steve Vallos (concussion)
CB Kayvon Webster (thumb)
WR Wes Welker (concussion)