LA Chargers: 3 reasons why Keenan Allen will have a career year
By Jason Reed
Why Keenan Allen will have a career year with the LA Chargers in 2020:
3. He is facing favorable secondaries
Have of the battle that a wide receiver has to face in the NFL is who they are coming up against on the opposing secondary. Not only do receivers have to hone their individual craft, but they have to make sure they are better than the guy lined up opposed to them.
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The LA Chargers are not facing many lockdown secondaries on their 2020 schedule and Allen rarely has to line up against a truly great CB1. His matchups are going to be favorable all season long and that is going to reflect in the box score.
First, we have the six division games against the Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. The Raiders and Chiefs both have below-average defenses and the secondary for either team is not great.
While the Raiders have young talent in the secondary, they do not have a true CB1 to neutralize Allen. The Chiefs are hurting in that department as well. And while the Broncos rank well in points allowed per game and have a defensive-minded head coach, they too lack that good CB1 that is going to be able to keep Allen at bay.
Then we have the four games against the NFC South. The Buccaneers have one of the worst secondaries in the league and don’t have a CB1 to match up with Allen and both the Falcons and Panthers are mediocre as well. Atlanta has a rookie corner in A.J. Terrell who is exciting but is just a rookie.
The Saints have Marshon Lattimore, who has elevated to his opponents and played really well against some great WR1 but is inconsistent. We don’t know what version of Lattimore Allen will see.
The AFC East is a little tricky but still presents some good matchups. Allen will be able to excel against both the Jets and Dolphins’ secondaries while Buffalo and New England will be more of a hassle. Stephon Gillmore is an elite CB1 and will be Allen’s toughest matchup.
Finally, as for the final two games, the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars both present great opportunities for Allen to thrive.