The San Diego Chargers haven't made it through a single game this season without suffering a devastating injury and, unfortunately for them, that trend continued during Sunday's 26-22 loss to the Colts.
This week, the Chargers lost linebacker Manti Te'o for the season. Te'o tore his Achilles during the first quarter of the Chargers loss, and right when the injury happened the linebacker knew it was going to be bad.
"It didn't feel too good," Te'o said, via ESPN.com. "And something that when it happened, you just knew it wasn't really good."
The freak injury was suffered on a play where Te'o wasn't touched. With just under five minutes left to play in the first quarter, Te'o went out to cover Colts running back Frank Gore in the flat. However, before Te'o got anywhere near Gore, he fell to the ground in pain after Gore dropped the pass.
"I know that I will be alright," Te'o told the Chargers official website after the game. "Unfortunately, I couldn't be out there with my brothers and playing, and that is the thing that hurts the most. It was a big year for me, and I worked extremely hard and there is nothing that you can do now. Just look forward, move forward and keep going."
The linebacker got emotional during his postgame interview.
"This is nothing compared to what is going on in my head and my heart. I have been playing this game for 20 years," Te'o said. "I have been playing this game since I was five. All my family is in my head and my family here with the Chargers; we just had so many big dreams. I had so many big dreams for my team. Just because I am down does not mean that it is over. It is still going, but I just wish I could be right there with them."
Although Te'o was a defensive co-captain in San Diego, there is a chance he might've played his last down with the Chargers. The linebacker is in the final year of his rookie deal and is set to become a free agent in March. The Achilles injury could make things tricky on the negotiating end for both sides.
Te'o's injury marks the third time in three weeks that the chargers have lost a full-time starter. In Week 1, the team lost wide receiver Keenan Allen for the season after he tore his ACL. One week later, the Chargers lost Danny Woodhead for the season after the running back also tore his ACL against the Jaguars.
