By Jordan Long
The L.A. Chargers are coming off of their bye week. They sit at 4-3, a game behind the Kansas City Chiefs for first place in the AFC West Division. They will take on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Chargers could be without star wide receiver, Kennan Allen.
Allen is one of the Chargers’ top wide receivers. Quarterback Justin Herbert trusts him to catch the football. Allen rarely has a drop when Herbert passes it his way. When Allen catches the football, his speed allows him to create separation from the defensive backs. Those catches are for first downs or longer.
Allen hasn’t seen the field much dealing with a hamstring injury limiting him to just 2 games. In those appearances he is still productive, hauling in 6 passes for 77 yards. His average yards per catch is still an impressive 12.8.
In week 7, which was the last time the Chargers played, they faced the Seattle Seahawks. Allen only appeared in the first half. The Chargers placed him on a pitch count so the injury wouldn’t be worse. Allen caught 2 passes for 11 yards.
The Chargers were anticipating the bye week would give Allen more time to heal up. This isn’t the case. Allen had a setback in his recovery from the hamstring injury. He missed practice on Monday and Wednesday. His status for Sunday is up in the air.
Allen knows he may not play. He wants to be out on the field when his body allows him. Allen didn’t provide a timetable when he could be back in action. According to ESPN.com, Allen said, “I definitely don’t want to do the halfway thing again. Just want to come back 100 percent and not worried about it.”
The Chargers have to be cautious with Allen. They need him for the stretch run and the playoffs if they earn a playoff spot. It’s probably the smart idea for him not to play this weekend which would give him another week to try and recover from the injury.
If Allen can’t go, it’s a blow to the Chargers’ wide receiver core. Mike Williams won’t play Sunday due to a high ankle sprain. Joshua Palmer’s status is uncertain even though he cleared the concussion protocol. Allen, Williams, and Palmer are the top 3 receivers for the Chargers.
If none of them are able to play Sunday, Herbert will have to trust DeAndre Carter, Michael Bandy, and Jason Moore, Jr. Carter most likely will be Herbert’s top target. He has caught 19 passes for 229 yards and 1 touchdown this season. The other wide receivers don’t have much production this year. Brandy totaled 48 receiving yards and Moore has 1 pass for 5 yards.
The Chargers know it is next man up. They need Carter, Bandy, and Moore to step up their game this Sunday. They can’t have dropped passes because that won’t help the offense. The Chargers are hoping that these receivers can make plays, otherwise, it could be a long game against the Atlanta Falcons.
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