Keenan Allen Injury Update: Chargers WR Placed on Injured Reserve with Torn ACL

Keenan Allen's season is officially over after the San Diego Chargers placed the receiver on injured receiver with a torn ACL, per Ricky Henne of the team's official website.

The 24-year-old receiver was off to an excellent start in Week 1, with six catches for 63 yards in the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs. Unfortunately, he was carted off the field after going down with a knee injury in the second quarter.

Allen played only eight games in 2015 after suffering a lacerated kidney. 

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provided a silver lining on the injury:

When healthy, Allen has proved to be one of the top receivers in the NFL. He broke out with 1,046 receiving yards and eight touchdowns during his rookie season and reached a new level before getting hurt last season.

As ESPN Stats & Info noted, he was among the best in the league at the halfway mark:

If Week 1 was any indication, Allen was headed for a major role once again. While he played less than one half, only Travis Benjamin had more than his seven targets in the loss.

In addition to the on-field loss, tight end Antonio Gates described the emotional toll this type of injury takes on the team.

"When you lose a player like Keenan Allen, it affects the game," Gates said after the loss, per Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. "It’s as simple as that. It not only affects what you can do, but how much you can do. He’s our best player. And I don’t know if that’s the reason we lost the game, but I think he definitely has a big affect on the game."

Allen signed a four-year extension before the start of the season, but the team will now have to rely on a mostly inexperienced group of receivers.

Benjamin, a fifth-year wide receiver, should see a big increase in production. But Dontrelle Inman and Tyrell Williams are mostly unproven at this level. Gates and running back Danny Woodhead will also likely see a jump in targets.

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