{"id":136635,"date":"2022-11-21T12:20:40","date_gmt":"2022-11-21T17:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=136635"},"modified":"2022-11-21T12:21:35","modified_gmt":"2022-11-21T17:21:35","slug":"josh-palmer-stepping-up-chargers-receiver-injuries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2022\/11\/21\/josh-palmer-stepping-up-chargers-receiver-injuries\/","title":{"rendered":"Josh Palmer Stepping Up Amid Los Angeles Chargers Wide Receiver Injuries"},"content":{"rendered":"

This will not sound unfamiliar to Los Angeles Chargers fans, but the name of the game for much of this year has been injuries. And the injuries have definitely been felt at the wide receiver position. Keenan Allen injured his hamstring in Week 1 and, not including a failed attempt to return in Week 7, has been out two months. Then Mike Williams got hurt and has missed time. This has left the need for other receivers to step up \u2013 with mixed results at best<\/a>. However, over the past few games, second-year receiver Josh Palmer has been stepping up \u2013 and had his true breakout performance on Sunday Night Football in a close loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.<\/p>\n

Josh Palmer Steps Up Amid Los Angeles Chargers Wide Receiver Injuries<\/h2>\n

The Mixed Results<\/h3>\n

Palmer was effectively thrust into the WR2 role after Allen went down in Week 1. He did catch a long touchdown pass in Week 2, also against the Kansas City Chiefs, but was mostly quiet otherwise. For the most part, he struggled to get much going after that, as he was mostly used for short, quick passes that often did not go anywhere, and he also seemed to be struggling to get much separation.<\/p>\n

However, it is worth noting that Justin Herbert\u2019s injury during this period may not have been helping matters, as it forced the Chargers to turn into a checkdown offense a lot of the time. On Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos, he hauled in nine passes \u2013 but for only 57 yards, seeming to signal how passive the offense in general was at this time. Nevertheless, Palmer did not seem to be taking the step forward at this point that many had hoped for.<\/p>\n

Mini-Breakout Game<\/h3>\n

Enter Week 9, and though this was the point where Herbert started looking healthy again, both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams were out. This left the Chargers receiving corps in complete shambles with Josh Palmer and DeAndre Carter as the top two receivers. Palmer had to step up<\/a> at this point \u2013 and he finally did, bringing in eight catches for 106 yards, the first 100-yard game of his career.<\/p>\n

This performance was definitely promising and was key in helping the Chargers win that game when Herbert barely had anybody reliable to throw to. The only catch was that it was against the Atlanta Falcons, who have had one of the worst passing defenses in the league. It was hard to say if it would stick. The following week didn\u2019t produce encouraging results when he was again in the WR1 role but only pulled in three catches for 44 yards on eight targets against a much stingier San Francisco 49ers defense.<\/p>\n

Primetime Breakout<\/h3>\n

Sunday Night Football against the Chiefs saw both Allen and Williams return, finally. However, Williams left the game fairly early after re-aggravating his ankle. Though Allen appeared to be healthy and in normal form, Herbert still looked Palmer\u2019s way often \u2013 and he produced, beginning on the opening drive with a wide-open 50-yard touchdown catch. This was especially impressive given that Palmer is not especially fast and that was the sort of long pass you\u2019d expect maybe DeAndre Carter (or Jalen Guyton, if were healthy) to be on the other end of.<\/p>\n

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Herbert goes deep to @Flowercitysown<\/a> for an opening drive TD! #BoltUp<\/a><\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa: #KCvsLAC<\/a> on NBC
\ud83d\udcf1: Stream on NFL+ https:\/\/t.co\/arbJ1PQ30A<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/rTdVjwBI5p<\/a><\/p>\n

— NFL (@NFL) November 21, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n