Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Keenan Allen Reportedly Suffered Hip Pointer Injury; Could Miss 'Some Time'

Paul Kasabian

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen suffered a hip pointer injury on Thursday against the Kansas City Chiefs, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. 

Rapoport provided details about the injury on Friday:

A sixth-year pro out of Cal, Allen has caught 88 passes for 1,074 yards and six touchdowns this season.

Allen immediately broke out after entering the league as the Chargers' third-round pick in 2013. Over the course of his first two seasons, the 6'2" wideout caught 148 passes for 1,829 yards and 12 touchdowns.

However, the Chargers' No. 1 wideout suffered a season-ending kidney injury and torn ACL in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Those ailments held him to just nine games in those seasons, but Allen bounced back in 2017 with 102 receptions, 1,393 yards and six touchdowns.

Allen was enjoying a tremendous 2018 season before the injury, most notably amassing a career-best 72.7 percent catch rate.

In conjunction, the Chargers are having a great campaign as well, with their 11-3 record standing as their best mark since 2009. That record is remarkable considering the offensive injuries the Chargers have suffered this year, with running back Melvin Gordon missing four games and tight end Hunter Henry out for the entire season.

Without Allen, Mike Williams and Tyrell Williams will act as the team's top two wideouts, while Travis Benjamin will slide into the No. 3 role.

The 6'4", 220-pound Mike Williams offers a big and potentially explosive target for Rivers, as noted by when the ex-Clemson star accounted for three touchdowns, 95 total yards and the game-winning two-point conversion in the Bolts' 29-28 win over the Chiefs.

He's a deep threat as evidenced by his 16.0 yards per reception, but Tyrell Williams and Travis Benjamin can also go downfield for explosive plays. Williams, who averages 16.4 yards per reception over his four-year career, has 11 catches of 20 yards or more this season despite being targeted just 60 times. Benjamin and Rivers haven't connected often this year, but in 2017, the two linked for four touchdowns of 22 or more yards.

Allen isn't an easily replaceable loss given his consistent reliability and excellent rapport with Rivers, but the talented trio of wideouts behind him are capable of keeping the passing attack moving.

   

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