Philip Rivers missed the past two days of practice as reports of the severity of his back injury swirl.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that while Rivers (chest, back) didn't practice, he did take all the snaps in the team's walk through and the Chargers are optimistic he'll play Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers.
If it were another player, perhaps he'd sit with the injury, but Rivers has shown the willingness and ability to play through just about any predicament, including the famed ACL tear in 2008.
As far as Rivers is concerned there is no question that he's playing Saturday.
"At this point in the week I think there's no doubt," he said, per ESPN.com.
Rivers added that the rest at this point outweighed the importance of practicing.
"I hate not practicing," he said. "But I think at some point you have to do what's best for me and the team. And practicing today wouldn't have been beneficial to moving toward Saturday."
With the Chargers' playoff hopes dwindling, they'll need the gutty Rivers to perform on the road against what is still a formidable 49ers defense.
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