5:24 p.m. ET
Lindsey Thiry ESPN
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- Covered Rams for the Los Angeles Times for two years
- Previously covered the Falcons
- Has the NBA and college football and basketball covered
COSTA MESA, Calif. — After a bye week, the Los Angeles Chargers were hoping for further recovery from their injury-plagued roster, but that doesn’t appear to be the case for wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Allen on Wednesday expressed frustration at yet another setback in his recovery from a left hamstring injury that is putting his status in question ahead of a Week 9 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.
After missing five games after the season opener, Allen returned to the roster after a Week 7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. On the pitch count, he only played in the first half, catching two passes for 11 yards.
Allen said he “felt great” in the game but clarified he wasn’t 100 percent.
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“Nothing happened in the game,” Allen said of the injury when asked how he suffered the setback. “I’m taking my time with it and just going through how we planned it and through bye week, sort of again.
“I don’t think it was a reluctance or anything. It’s just more scar tissue trying to break off, and whenever it’s ready to heal it just has to let it do its own thing.”
Allen, 30, didn’t exercise on Mondays or Wednesdays and said he was just feeling decent and was certainly “worse” than he was before bye week.
If Allen can’t play the Falcons, the Chargers will be without their top three receivers. Mike Williams has already been ruled out with a right high ankle sprain and coach Brandon Staley said wide receiver Joshua Palmer has cleared the concussion record but would not commit to his return on Sunday.
The Bolts also have wide receivers DeAndre Carter, Michael Bandy and Jason Moore Jr. on the list.
Allen did not give a timetable for his return, but said he did not want to return until there was absolute certainty about his health.
“There’s no way I want to do half again,” said Allen, who has caught six passes for 77 yards in two games this season. “I just want to come back 100 percent and not worry.”
The Chargers are 4-3, a game behind the 5-2 Kansas City Chiefs for first place in the AFC West.