Stevie Johnson sees the situation.

He knows what must happen next.

The No. 1 wide receiver, Keenan Allen, is out for the season. The No. 2 wide receiver, Malcom Floyd, is out Sunday and possibly longer. The two combined for nearly 73 percent of the wide receiver corps’ catch total and receiving yardage in the first eight games.

Two dominos are down.


A third and fourth still stand.

“I know what it is right now,” Johnson said. “Once one and two go down, now you see the three guy. When three goes down, you see the four guy. That’s what this league is about. It’s about opportunities and seizing them. Right now, I have to do my part.”

What was expected became official Friday, as the Chargers ruled out Floyd for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs. His absence to a shoulder injury elevates not only Johnson but Dontrelle Inman into more solidified, prominent roles. Both figure to start Sunday and see ample chances.

This, to some degree, is nothing new.


Johnson has played 432 offensive snaps this year, third-most of any position player behind Allen and Floyd. He did not leave the field offensively against the Bears in Week 9, as the team played its first game without Allen. Floyd exited in the second quarter.

Likewise, Inman played 71 of 72 offensive snaps against Chicago. He’s stepped up when called upon in the past. Last year, the former CFL standout spent his first season on an NFL roster. He didn’t run a route until Week 16 when he entered a road game against the 49ers at halftime. He caught seven of nine passes, including a late fourth-down conversion, for 79 yards in an overtime win. Inman added 79 yards the next week against these same Chiefs in Kansas City.

Neither is new to the field. Each has a rapport built with quarterback Philip Rivers.

The difference, really, is the surrounding dynamic.


The only other Chargers wide receiver Sunday with a career catch will be Javontee Herndon. And he has exactly one catch, a 12-yarder versus the Bears in his NFL debut. Herndon, who doubles as the team’s returner, spent the past season and a half on the practice squad.

Undrafted rookie Tyrell Williams, while active Week 1, hasn’t appeared on offense in an NFL regular-season game. He remains on the practice squad but seems likely to be promoted by Saturday afternoon.

Herndon, 24, and Williams, 23, have shown promise, and they’ve worked toward this opportunity.

But they also have spent more time running routes for reserve quarterbacks Kellen Clemens and Brad Sorensen than for Rivers. It is not a slight to either player or his potential when acknowledging that, against a formidable Kansas City defense, Johnson and Inman must lead the way.


That starts Sunday in a game for which tight ends Antonio Gates (knee/hip) and Ladarius Green (ankle) are listed on the injury report as questionable to play.

Gates is likely to start, but he’s been limited for weeks, his hip injury coming from compensating for an MCL sprain suffered Oct. 18 in Green Bay. With him pushing through pain to give Rivers all he has as soon as he has it, it’s no guarantee Gates will return to pre-injury form this year.

So, it’s on Johnson and Inman like never before.

Each had his struggles the last time out. Johnson was flagged for delay of game in the fourth quarter after slamming a football to the ground; he’d been tackled at the 3-yard line and was frustrated for not having scored. Earlier, in the second quarter, Inman fumbled at the end of a 14-yard catch.


They look to step up now.

“We talk about it all the time,” Inman said. “We’ve got to carry the load. We’ve got to carry the load. We’re going to go out there and give it our all. Expect the best game out of both of us.”