San Diego Chargers coach Mike McCoy confirmed the bad news on Monday: receiver Keenan Allen is done for the year with a torn ACL in his right knee.
Chargers’ WR Keenan Allen did tear his ACL, an MRI today confirmed, per source. A top 5 WR done for the season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 12, 2016
Allen suffered the injury in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He was off to a hot start before getting injured, catching six passes for 63 yards while being guarded by Defensive Rookie of the Year and 2015 Pro Bowler Marcus Peters. This is a tough blow for the team as well as Allen, who last year was on pace for a monster season before suffering a season-ending kidney injury eight games into 2015.
The Chargers lose their top playmaker on offense but gain a potential playmaker on defense, with the activation of first-round pick Joey Bosa. The Ohio State product missed the season opener with a hamstring injury and also because he hardly practiced during the offseason due to a contract holdout, but McCoy says the 21-year-old defensive end is day-to-day, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune‘s Michael Gehlken.
Bosa was drafted to make a difference in stopping the run and rushing the passer, which the Chargers failed to do most of last season. Against Kansas City, San Diego’s defense looked good early on, but it started to break later in the game, and the Chiefs were able to overcome a 17-point deficit to beat the Chargers 33-27 in overtime.
The loss of Allen is huge, but Bosa’s arrival may be the spark needed to get them back on track.
