The San Diego Chargers' uphill climb to the postseason just got a little bit steeper. The Chargers are officially down a wide receiver as their losses begin to pile up following a fall to the Baltimore Ravens. Now, things get tough as Keenan Allen is expected to miss the rest of the season following a kidney injury.
According to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, Allen is out for the year following a procedure to repair a lacerated kidney. The wide receiver is now being placed on injured reserve after suffering a hit against the Ravens that originally looked like a back injury. The loss of Allen is huge for the Chargers as his 67 catches rank in second in the NFL. He has been a huge safety blanket for Philip Rivers as he has 725 yards and four touchdown catches on the year.
In his place, the Chargers will rely on Stevie Johnson, Malcom Floyd and Dontrelle Inman for help. They are currently playing without Antonio Gates who is nursing a knee injury while Ladarius Green is dealing with an ankle injury. Floyd, Johnson and Inman are a good combo, but not great enough to get the Chargers back into playoff contention. At 2-6, the team has a lot of work to do to get back into the picture. Adding a receiver would not be the worst move in the world. Hakeem Nicks is working out for the Baltimore Ravens, but Reggie Wayne and Wes Welker remain available. They could also try and capitalize on the trade market quickly as players like Justin Hunter, Rod Streater and Cordarrelle Patterson are all available according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Losing Allen is a huge blow for the Chargers as the drop off from him to the other players is steep. The biggest thing the Chargers could do to replace him is get the struggling run game moving. Melvin Gordon has yet to find any consistency this season. The rookie had just 54 yards off 18 carries against the Ravens while Branden Oliver had 18 yards off four carries. That is simply not enough when the leading receiver is out. Danny Woodhead could be someone that emerges as a top playmaker. The versatile running back has been a huge threat in the passing game which is expected to continue with Allen out of the mix.
The Chargers have let too many games just slip away from them. Losing Allen does not help the effort. If San Diego can get the run game moving, they stand a better chance at getting wins put together.
