It took a little prodding late in the game, but the Los Angeles Chargers called Keenan Allen's number late and he got another catch. It was No. 956 in a Chargers uniform, setting a franchise record previously held by tight end Antonio Gates.
Wide receiver Keenan Allen spent the first 11 years of his NFL career with the Chargers, first in San Diego and then in Los Angeles. He spent last year with the Chicago Bears, but desperately wanted to return home.
The team got it done.
Allen, who was a third-round pick out of California in the 2013 NFL Draft, has played a big role in the Chargers' impressive start to the season. He's got a team-leading 52 catches already, but had just two in Sunday night's 25-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The second one, though, came in the closing minutes and it was his 956h in a Chargers uniform. Tht broke the Chargers team record formerly held by tight end Antonio Gates.
Here's the story on the Chargers' win over the Steelers from Chargers Roundtable writer John Gennaro, and the numbers that matter for the 7-3 Chargers.
Everyone with the Chargers knew that Allen was close to getting the record. But he had just one catch all night, and late in the game he went to coach Jim Harbaugh with an idea.
"Just run the speed sweep, that's the easiest catch I can get," Allen said to reporters about his conversation with Harbaugh. "It's like a guaranteed catch."
With 2:56 left in the game, Allen came in motion and quarterback Justin Herbert shoveled the ball forward to him. He gained 7 yards and had the record.
"They actually called me a genius," Allen said with a smile, telling reporters he was confused why offensive coordinator Greg Roman and Harbaugh hadn't thought of the simple throw "You mean to tell me you didn't think of this?
"A catch is a catch. The two catches were hard enough to get already. We had a couple plays that should have been gimmes, but the defense played them well."
Allen already has the team record for total yards with 11,069 yards. This is another cherry on top with the receptions record.
"This has got to be up there with the 10,000 yards," Allen said. "Those are milestones that not a lot of people reach. Even the greats, they don't even reach those type of things, but we were able to do it.
"Hats off Antonio. And Philip [Rivers], Herbo, throwing the ball," Allen added. "I appreciate those guys."