EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton, who missed the Chargers’ Week 18 game against the Denver Broncos with a right ankle injury, said he plans to play in Sunday’s playoff game against the New England Patriots.
The Chargers officially listed Hampton as questionable for Sunday. He participated in practice in a limited capacity Friday, marking his first on-field work since Week 17.
“I’m super excited,” Hampton said of potentially playing in his first playoff game.
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Hampton, the Chargers’ first-round rookie, has seen his season hindered by injuries. He was placed on injured reserve after the Chargers’ Week 5 loss to the Washington Commanders with a fracture in his left ankle. He returned in Week 14 against the Eagles, only to sustain an injury to his other ankle in Week 17 against the Houston Texans.
“It’s definitely been different, but it’s something I’ve just got to keep getting treatment on and bounce back from,” Hampton said of the injuries.
Hampton said he wasn’t sure about the severity of his injury, but it occurred early in the fourth quarter against Houston when he was tackled by linebacker Henry To’oTo’o. Despite the injury, Hampton stayed in the game, finishing with 29 rushing yards, a touchdown, and 31 receiving yards.
“I definitely didn’t want to give up on my team,” Hampton said. “I just wanted to help my team out as much as I could, so I kept my head down and kept playing.”
Hampton got off to a slow start early in the season but quickly became one of the Chargers’ most important offensive pieces after veteran running back Najee Harris suffered a season-ending Achilles rupture in the first half of the Chargers’ Week 3 game against the Denver Broncos.
With Harris sidelined, Los Angeles leaned heavily on Hampton, who broke out with a team-high 129 yards from scrimmage and his first NFL touchdown in a 23-20 win.
Since returning in Week 14, Hampton has picked up where he left off. His best performance came against the Dallas Cowboys, when he rushed 16 times for 85 yards and a touchdown.
Regardless of Hampton’s availability, the Chargers are expected to split the workload between him and Kimani Vidal, a sixth-round pick from 2024 who has starred while Hampton has been sidelined. Vidal leads Los Angeles in rushing yards with 643.
