Chargers WR Keenan Allen (thigh) active vs. Patriots

Avoiding another blow to their already thin wide receiver group, the Chargers will have their top pass-catcher on the field in Week 13.

Keenan Allen is active for Los Angeles’ road game versus the New England Patriots despite dealing with a thigh bruise, meaning the Bolts will not be without their most reliable and explosive receiving threat as they try to end a three-game losing streak.

Allen initially suffered the bruise during last week’s loss to the Ravens, and though he did not exit the game, it resulted in him missing both Wednesday and Thursday’s practices.

He returned in a limited capacity for Friday’s session, but still received a questionable status going into Sunday. But in the end the extra rest was apparently enough to alleviate the pain enough for Allen to play this week.

The Chargers were already thin at wide receiver due to injuries to the group, having already seen Mike Williams and Josh Palmer lost to injuries this year. Allen had been the one constant amid the injury turnover, not missing a game to this point, and that streak will continue into another week. 

In his 11th NFL season, Allen remains one of the premier receivers around. He ranks second in the league in receiving yards with 1,117 — his sixth season with 1,000-plus yards — and also leads the league in receptions with 97. 

This high volume is largely due to Justin Herbert‘s reliance on the veteran considering the team’s struggles at the position, both in terms of injuries and production. Allen has been targeted 129 times this year, while no other player has more than 39, and he has 10-plus receptions and 100-plus yards in each of his last three games, accounting for almost half of the Chargers’ receiving yards in that span.

The Chargers (4-7) and Patriots (2-9) kick off in Foxborough at 1p.m. ET.