Jaret Patterson

We were beginning to suspect a rug pull between the Chargers signing Jaret Patterson to the 53-man roster and adding Royce Freeman to the practice squad over the last couple of days. Hampton also was spotted in a non-contact jersey for Friday's practice. This story probably has some more unfolding to do, but the Chargers would likely be relying on Hampton in a big way on Monday night after what the Bears did to the Eagles on the ground on Black Friday. Especially with Justin Herbert (hand) potentially playing through injury.

Patterson deserves credit for fighting through contact en route to a two-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but his best play occurred on the Chargers' fourth drive. Patterson ran to the right, through a crowded box, as Raiders EDGE Maxx Crosby dove toward him and landed a clean punch on the football. The rock hardly moved in Patterson's grip, and he continued on his way to a 22-yard gain, bringing the ball to the Raiders' 15-yard line. Patterson can be stashed until RB Omarion Hampton (ankle) returns from injured reserve.

Chargers RB Omarion Hampton (ankle) is out for Sunday s game vs. the Raiders. He returned to limited practices this week but isn t quite ready for game action yet. It was a good week, HC Jim Harbaugh said Friday. Really beneficial, ramping up. Everything s on track to return, not this week. RB Kimani Vidal is the only healthy RB on Los Angeles s active roster right now, with RBs Jaret Patterson, Amar Johnson, and Trayveon Williams on the practice squad. We ll see which of those guys are elevated on Saturday afternoon, but Vidal is in for strong volume in a good spot against the Raiders 25th-ranked RB defense.