FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Four weeks ago, Bill Belichick game-planned against Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Two weeks before that, he had his hands full defending Vikings stars Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.
On Wednesday, he called Chargers wideout Keenan Allen as good as any of them.
“Keenan’s as good a receiver as there is in the National Football League,” Belichick said. “Big, quick, tough after the catch, hard guy to tackle, very good route-runner, exceptional route-runner. Great hands, concentration.”
Allen earned a second straight Pro Bowl nod as he helped the Chargers by catching 97 passes for 1,196 yards and six touchdowns. Since being drafted in the third round of the 2013 draft, Allen has been quarterback Philip Rivers’ go-to target.
Belichick cautions, though, that Allen doesn’t hog targets from the other talented Chargers wideouts.
“Clearly, Allen’s been the most productive receiver – I mean, by far – but don’t take anything away from any of those other guys,” he said.
“He makes plays, but don’t get the love he should,’ said New England cornerback Stephon Gilmore. “He’s extremely hard to cover. He produces every game. Some people have hype, but he doesn’t. He runs great routes. One of the best there is.”
PRACTICE REPORT: The Patriots had perfect attendance in their first practice leading up to Sunday’s game with the Chargers.
Safety Devin McCourty, who suffered a concussion in the regular-season finale, returned to the field. He missed both practices during the Patriots’ bye week. This means McCourty is at least in the fourth of five stages of concussion protocol.
The two-time Pro Bowler started every game during the regular season, recording one interception, four pass breakups and a forced fumble. McCourty also totaled 82 tackles, good for third on the team behind Kyle Van Noy and Patrick Chung.
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