The Chargers are expected to be without their top wide receiver when they take on the Chiefs on Thursday.
Keenan Allen suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter of the season opener against the Raiders and did not return.
On Tuesday, ahead of the matchup with Kansas City, head coach Brandon Staley gave an update and said that “it’s not looking great” for Allen regarding his status.
Before exiting the game, Allen posted four catches for 66 yards.
After Allen left, Los Angeles’ passing offense still managed to be productive – quarterback Justin Herbert finished the game 26-of-34 passing for 279 yards and three touchdowns.
Herbert spread the wealth, connecting with nine different targets. But the pass-catcher who had the most significant impact was DeAndre Carter, who caught three passes for 64 yards and one touchdown.
As it stands, the Chargers have four healthy wide receivers on the roster. Whether or not they will promote one from the practice squad remains to be seen. If they chose to do so, they have three options: Michael Bandy, Jason Moore Jr., and Joe Reed.
“We’re still working through that for the next couple of days. We can decide to go with four wideouts, bring somebody else up in another position, or we could flex a receiver,” Staley said. “We’re still working through the initial stages of the plan, but I do think that we have receivers who are capable of being elevated and performing well for us.”
If Allen is sidelined, Mike Williams and Josh Palmer are expected to step up in place of him. Williams saw just three targets, finishing with two catches for 10 yards, while Palmer posted three catches for five yards on four targets last Sunday.
The Chiefs defense held Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray to just 179 passing yards in Week 1.