The Los Angeles Chargers will face the New York Giants Sunday at SoFi Stadium with receiver Keenan Allen expected to miss the game because of a positive coronavirus test.
Allen was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list Monday. Backup center-guard Scott Quessenberry also remains on the list and is also expected to miss the game, coach Brandon Staley said Friday in his last meeting with reporters before the game.
Through Monday’s play, Allen was tied for second in the NFL with 86 receptions, behind Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams who has 100, and eighth in receiving yards with 929.
Quessenberry has played all 12 of the Chargers’ games in 2021, nearly exclusively on special teams.
The Chargers activated two starters from the list Saturday, receiver Mike Williams and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. Allen tested positive for COVID-19, but Harris and Williams did not, according to Staley. They were placed on the list because “they were just close contacts with Keenan,” Staley said.
Williams was tied for 13th in receiving yards with D.J. Moore of the Carolina Panthers with 854 though Monday.
Harris is a four-time Pro Bowl selection who has played in nine games in 2021, starting seven. He made a fourth-quarter interception in last Sunday’s 41-22 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Jalen Guyton will start in place of Allen, Staley said. Guyton has caught 18 passes for 289 yards and one touchdown this season.
The Chargers will be without a second starter, rookie cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., who will miss his third consecutive game because of a concussion.
The Chargers placed reserve outside linebacker Kyler Fackrell on the reserve/injured list Saturday because of a knee injury. They also elevated three practice squad players to the active roster — defensive back Ben DeLuca, outside linebacker Emeke Egbule and receiver Jason Moore.
Starting quarterback Daniel Jones will miss his second consecutive game for the Giants (4-8) because of a neck injury he suffered against Philadelphia on Nov. 28. Mike Glennon will again start in Jones’ place after clearing the NFL concussion protocol on Friday afternoon.
Glennon took every quarterback snap in New York’s 20-9 road loss to the Miami Dolphins last Sunday. The team announced after the game he had suffered a concussion.
Glennon completed 23 of 44 passes for 187 yards in his first start since Jan. 3, when he completed 26 of 42 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 28-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Former USC standout cornerback Adoree’ Jackson will miss his second consecutive game for the Giants because of a quadricep injury,
Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert could reach several milestones Sunday.
Herbert needs 14 completions to set the record for the most by a player through their his first two seasons, 725, 117 passing yards to reach 8,000 in his 28th career game, the second-fastest in NFL history, 314 passing yards to set the all-time mark for the most by a player through his first two seasons, 8,197, and two touchdown passes to reach 60 in his 28th career game, fourth-fastest in NFL history.
The Chargers (7-5) enter Sunday’s play one game behind the Kansas City Chiefs (8-4) in the race for the AFC West lead. The Chargers have not won an AFC West championship since 2009, when they were based in San Diego.
The Chargers’ 30-24 victory over Kansas City Sept. 26 gives them the tiebreaker over the Chiefs for now. The teams will meet again Thursday at SoFi Stadium.
The ABC News-owned data prediction website FiveThirtyEight.com gives the Chargers a 36% chance of winning the division but a 79% chance of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Tiebreakers put them in the lead for the race for the three wild-card playoff berths in the AFC.