The Los Angeles Chargers’ 2023 season has taken one significant loss after another. And that’s not just the eight losses they’ve endured before their Thursday Night Football showdown with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Bolts have taken losses with their roster due to injuries. And the latest to go down is All-Pro wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Why Is Keenan Allen Out Ahead of TNF Game vs. Raiders?
Allen is currently dealing with a heel injury and was ruled out on the eve of the AFC West showdown. The team officially placed him as inactive more than an hour before pregame warmups.
our inactives for #LACvsLV
WR Keenan Allen
S JT Woods
DB Deane Leonard
LB Amen Ogbongbemiga
TE Donald Parham Jr.
DL Otito Ogbonnia
DL Nick Williams— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 14, 2023
However, the idea of Allen playing on a short week became wiped away on Wednesday. The Chargers and head coach Brandon Staley made the decision to pull Allen on that day.
Allen suffered the injury during the Chargers’ disappointing 24-7 loss to the Denver Broncos, which dropped them to 5-8 overall.
Impact of Allen’s Injury and Absence From Chargers Offense
The news puts a brief dent in what’s been a strong 2023 campaign for Allen — with the veteran wideout putting together his best season yet.
Allen already shattered the franchise record of single-season receptions with 108. That mark broke his previous best of 106 catches during the 2021 season. Furthermore, Allen has 1,243 yards in 13 games with the Bolts. He was on pace to break his previous top mark of 1,393 from 2017.
MORE: Three Crucial Stats For Chargers vs. Raiders
With Allen out, fans who tune in for the Chargers/Raiders won’t be seeing the NFL receptions leader in action. The 31-year-old is the lone league wideout who’s already over the 100-catch mark.
The next closest to him is Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins, who has snatched 97 receptions. CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys (96), Michael Pittman II of the Indianapolis Colts (95), and A.J. Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles (90) are the only other receivers who have 90 or more grabs.
Allen is also fourth in the NFL in receiving yards and tied for sixth in touchdowns at seven.
With Allen in the lineup, the Chargers rank 10th in the NFL in passing yards by racking up 3,098 yards. Allen, however, is among the notable Charger stars who won’t suit up versus the Raiders.
Edge rusher Joey Bosa has dealt with a foot injury he sustained in the loss to the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 19. And the Bolts are already dealing with another significant blow with franchise quarterback Justin Herbert with a broken index finger on his throwing hand, which he suffered in the Broncos’ Dec. 10 loss.
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