LA Chargers: Keenan Allen severely underused – Week 1 game grade

Though the LA Chargers pulled out a 16-13 win on Sunday, star receiver Keenan Allen was severely underused.

In what was a game full of atrocious play on offense, the LA Chargers and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen failed to put the ball in the hands of their most dangerous weapon on offense.

Keenan Allen had an unproductive day, especially for someone who just signed an $80 million extension this past offseason. He had eight targets, catching four of them for 37 yards and no touchdowns to show for it. One of the four incomplete passes was broken up, the others just not on target from quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

For Keenan Allen’s game grade, he’s getting a C+. Unfortunately for Allen, there is not much he could’ve done on his own to increase that. Here’s why Keenan Allen is only receiving a C+ for his play in Cincinnati.

Breaking down Keenan Allen’s C+ grade:

As was the case with Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen did what he could when he was able to touch the ball. The difference? Tyrod Taylor was able to hand the ball off to Ekeler, as opposed to throwing it down the field like he had to with Allen. That is why Ekeler had a bigger impact, because he got the ball more consistently and did not have to worry about Taylor making a bad throw.

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I wish Allen could’ve gotten a higher grade and made a bigger impact on the field, who doesn’t want to see the guy succeed? He was locked down for another four years, and we all want to see him retire as a member of the LA Chargers.

Luckily, it’s one week into the season, and the offense will more than likely look much smoother as we get deeper and deeper into the season.

Keenan Allen is a route running savant. Shane Steichen needs to set up plays for Taylor to throw the ball 8-12 yards down the field after Allen has gotten himself some separation. Allen was open underneath throughout the game, but Taylor seemed to already have his guys in Hunter Henry and Mike Williams.

The LA Chargers will need a much better performance on offense if they hope to have even a slight chance of pulling off an upset against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2.

Hopefully, the play calling can improve a lot, and Tyrod Taylor can hit Allen more often than he did in Cincinnati. Who knows, maybe they didn’t want to show off the entire playbook before Week 2. Only time will tell.