Chargers' Keenan Allen makes amends, tosses TD in record day - ESPN

MINNEAPOLIS — It was two years in the making, but Los Angeles Chargers receiver Keenan Allen finally got his shot at redemption.

Against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021, Allen botched a trick play that had him throwing the ball after a lateral. Mike Williams was wide open down the right sideline but Allen threw the ball short. He threw his arms in the air in angst and frustration at the time.

Fast forward to Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings, when the Chargers dialed up the exact same play in the third quarter. Allen, who already had over 100 receiving yards by that point, drew almost the entire Vikings defense when he caught the lateral pass and this time hit Williams for a 49-yard score.

«It was atonement,» Chargers coach Brandon Staley deadpanned after the game. "… Keenan really throws a good football, but we've been working on that play. I'm excited for Keenan because it capped one of those maestro performances for him."

The throw was Allen's best highlight on a day where he had an abundance of them as he finished with 18 catches for 215 yards and a touchdown in the Chargers' first win of the season, a 28-24 victory over the Vikings.

«He is a quarterback's best friend,» Justin Herbert said. «To be able to get the ball out to him quickly, for him to make plays, he makes my job so much easier.»

In his eleventh season, Allen had arguably the best game of his career. The list of records and milestones is lengthy: He was the first player in NFL history to record 15 receptions and throw a passing touchdown in a game, his 18 receptions were the most in a single game in Chargers history and his 9,689 career receiving yards are the most for a receiver in Chargers history.

He also now has the most games with 15