San Diego Chargers head coach Mike McCoy has revealed that he didn't put running back Ryan Mathews back into the game following a minor injury to prove a point about his durability.

Mathews took a blow to the ankle in his side's win over the Oakland Raiders, but after treatment went back into the game to see out the win at Qualcomm Stadium.

"We're not going to just put him back into the game to put him in the game," McCoy told ESPN. "So we make those decisions as the game goes along.

"If the medical staff says he's fine to play, he's going to play, just like every other player on our team."

The 26-year-old has rushed for 1,111 yards this season along with five touchdowns.