Getty The Los Angeles Chargers have ruled out No. 1 wide receiver Keenan Allen against the Giants on December 12.
For the second straight week, the 4-8 New York Giants will be forced to play without their starting quarterback Daniel Jones, who is dealing with a neck injury.
And while backup signal caller Mike Glennon cleared the concussion protocol and will start on Sunday, New York will still need all of the help they can get against the 7-5 Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 12.
Fortunately for the Giants, they have caught a bit of break as Chargers No. 1 wide receiver Keenan Allen has officially been ruled out. Allen was one of several Chargers’ players who were placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list during the week.
#chargers Keenan Allen OUT for Sunday
In addition to Allen, another top receiver for the Chargers, Mike Williams was placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list as a close contact, but has since tested negative several times which means he could be out there for this contest. The same can be said for cornerback Chris Harris who also could be active against the Giants as long as he continues to test negative.
As for Allen, this loss is huge for Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ offense as the wideout leads the team in catches and receiving yards. The nine-year veteran will now miss his first game of the season.
Allen has amassed 86 receptions for 929 yards and four touchdowns this year. However, the Chargers will have to trudge on without their best target, which is a sigh of relief for a Giants defense that already has a banged up secondary with Adoree Jackson (quad) and Darnay Holmes (ribs) sidelined due to injury.
The latest Giants news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Giants newsletter here!
Sign up for the Heavy on Giants Newsletter!
Giants’ Injury Report
Along with Jones and Jackson, rookie wide receiver Kadarius Toney is out this week as well with an oblique issue.
GAME STATUSES FOR GIANTS VS. CHARGERS
Out:
DB Adoree Jackson (Quad)
QB Daniel Jones (Neck)
WR Kadarius Toney (Oblique)
Questionable:
QB Mike Glennon (Concussion)
WR Kenny Golladay (Rib)
DL Danny Shelton (Calf)
WR Sterling Shepard (Quad)
*Glennon was a full participant on Friday
While Toney has certainly been productive on the field, he is about to miss his third straight game and fourth contest of the season overall. In nine games, Toney has 35 catches for 392 yards and zero touchdowns.
The good news is that fellow wideouts Kenny Golladay (ribs) and Sterling Shepard (quad) are expected to play against the Chargers. Golladay was elbowed in the ribs in the first-half of last week’s 20-9 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 5, but was able to return to action.
As for Shepard, he has been hit hard by injury bug this season, suffering a hamstring strain which caused him to miss three games earlier in the year. Upon returning to the lineup for the Giants’ Week 8 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 1, Shepard went down with a quad injury and has been out of the lineup ever since.
The hope is that Shepard is now fully healthy and ready to make an impact on an offense that has struggled immensely in 2021. Despite being limited to just five games so far, Shepard has 32 receptions for 324 yards and a touchdown this season.
Running back Saquon Barkley, who was added to the injury list this week and limited during practice, was not on the final report which means he is good to go for Sunday’s game. Barkley missed four games with an ankle injury from Weeks 6-9, and that’s why he was re-added to the injury report this past week as he is still dealing with this ailment.
Sportsmanship Award
The Giants have nominated cornerback James Bradberry for the 2021 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.
This award was established in 2015 and is named in honor of Pittsburgh Steelers founding owner Art Rooney, who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Although Bradberry is not having the same dominant campaign he endured with the Giants last season, he is still showing respect and integrity to his opponents on the gridiron.
With Jackson out this week, Bradberry will be counted on to help lockdown the Chargers’ high-powered passing attack, which ranks sixth in the NFL with 281.1 yards per game and 27 touchdowns through the air (third-most in the league).
In 12 games, Bradberry has three interceptions and 11 passes defensed, but has allowed a 97.9 passer rating and seven touchdowns this season.