Patriots News: Keenan Allen, Bill Belichick, Malik Cunningham and Bailey Zappe
- Chargers top WR could miss Sunday's game
- Will Malik Cunningham be on the sideline as a quarterback or wide receiver?
- Bill Belichick still refuses to officially name a starting QB for Week 13
Catch up with some of the latest news surrounding the New England Patriots as they prepare for their Week 13 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Keenan Allen dealing with an injury that could keep him sidelined against the Patriots
Although there hasn't been much to look forward to when the next Patriots game nears, one aspect of the upcoming Chargers game is the possibility of New England scraping out a win. They are currently considered 5-point underdogs, but LA played pretty terribly in their last game against the Ravens last week, providing a glimmer of hope for the fans who are not part of the tank brigade.
Things seemed to be working in the home team's favor, as reports about Keenan Allen dealing with a quad injury and missing back-to-back practices flooded the news cycle. It made such an impression that even Bill Belichick joked about being okay with the Chargers deciding to keep the receiver on the bench for their matchup.
"If they want to rest him this week, that would be all right with us. "
Fortunately, and unfortunately, depending on who you ask, Allen did return to practice on Friday and has been given a questionable designation for Sunday's game. Surely, they will do all they can to keep him in their lineup if possible, especially since he is their leading receiver this season, not just by a small amount.
Allen is already on pace to have the best season of his 11-year career, recording 97 receptions for 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns through just 11 games so far. He has "85 more targets, 68 more catches, and 740 more receiving yards" than the rest of his offensive teammates, meaning his absence from the field would dramatically hurt Justin Herbert's effectiveness and benefit the Patriots' defense, who have already shown they can contain super productive players.
What his status will ultimately be for Sunday's game will probably not come until game time, but expect that he will be on the field no matter what.