Keenan Allen recorded his first 100-yard performance since Week 1 on Sunday in Seattle, hauling in 6 of a team-high 10 targets for 124 yards, including a 54-yard deep catch and run that set up a Chargers TD. Allen was far and away Philip Rivers’ go-to guy on the day, with no other Chargers player topping 4 targets through the air. He also tacked on a 28-yard gain on the ground on the Chargers first play from scrimmage. Allen has been a high-end WR2 throughout the year despite not finding the end zone since Week 1 and should continue to trend upward alongside his talented offense.
After missing a total of 23 games in 2015 and 2016, Keenan Allen showed last year how reliable a weapon he is when healthy. He played in all 16 games in 2017, setting career-highs in targets (159), receptions (102), and yards (1,393) en route to his first Pro Bowl selection. Through 8 games Allen is on pace for similarly impressive numbers: 132 targets, 94 receptions, and 1,260 yards. The big difference is in TDs, as he had 6 last year compared to just 1 through 8 games in 2018. But as long as he remains the top option in an offense led by gunslinger Philip Rivers, the end zone opportunities are sure to come.
Next week brings a matchup with the glorified CFL team that is Jon Gruden’s Raiders, which should be a lucrative matchup for Allen and the Chargers. The possibility of the game being a runaway and LA abandoning the passing game altogether is always present, but as long as the game is relatively competitive, Allen should continue his strong start and feast on a secondary that is classified by most as mediocre at best.
