Chargers running back Austin Ekeler is expected to miss at least a month because of the hamstring injury suffered Sunday at Tampa Bay.
Ekeler was injured late in the first quarter and struggled just to make it onto the medical cart to be taken back to the locker room.
The Chargers anticipated losing Ekeler for a significant amount of time soon after the injury. In his postgame video conference with reporters, Coach Anthony Lynn said that "it looked pretty bad." Lynn is scheduled to meet with the media Monday afternoon.
The NFL Network earlier had reported Ekeler will miss "several weeks." ESPN reported that he'll be out four to six weeks, both fitting with Lynn's conjecture.
Without Ekeler, the Chargers struggled to rush the ball against a stout Tampa Bay defense in a 38-31 loss. They finished with only 46 yards on 23 carries. Quarterback Justin Herbert led the Chargers with 14 yards on the ground.
Rookie Josh Kelley and third-year pro Justin Jackson are now the team's top two running backs. Troymaine Pope and Darius Bradwell both are on the practice squad.
Given the timetable for his recovery, Ekeler likely is headed to the injured reserve list.
