The Chargers were yet again very close to coming away with the win against the Panthers. The contest came down to the last play, and they were unable to prevail, dropping their second consecutive game by the score of 21-16.
Here is our instant analysis from Los Angeles’ loss to Carolina:
Injury Report
The Chargers suffered a few injuries throughout the game.
Wide receiver Mike Williams (hamstring), offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga (back) and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. (foot) all got hurt and never returned to the field.
Play of the Game: Joey Bosa’s clutch sack in fourth quarter
The Chargers have struggled to hold their opponents late in the game. The Panthers were close to sealing the deal in the final minutes, but edge defender Joey Bosa came up huge with a sack on quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to force the Panthers out of field goal range and give the ball back to Los Angeles.
BIG. BEAR.@jbbigbear | #BoltUp pic.twitter.com/pPmdM5wwve
— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) September 27, 2020
Notable Number
3: Wide receiver Keenan Allen is now third with most receptions in franchise history, surpassing Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow.
Quick Takes
Despite a couple of head-scratching throws, quarterback Justin Herbert had another solid game. Herbert finished 35-of-49 passing for 330 yards, one touchdown and an interception. He became the third quarterback since the 1970 merger to throw for 300 yards in each of his first 2 career games.
Herbert not only showed off his arm and athleticism, but he displayed excellent pocket mobility and poise, navigating well around bodies when being pressured, which is a major sign of improvement from his playing days at Oregon.
Herbert’s favorite targets were wide receiver Keenan Allen, running back Austin Ekeler and tight end Hunter Henry. Allen led the pack with 13 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown.
The key to winning games is to win the turnover battle and the Chargers were unable to do that, turning the ball over four times while not forcing a single one. Three of the four turnovers turned into 13 points.
Not only were the turnovers killers, penalties were, as well. Los Angeles committed eight penalties, including a few of them in crucial moments, such as Jerry Tillery’s neutral zone infraction which led to the Panthers’ lone touchdown.
The defense bended but they didn’t break. While they gave up a handful of big plays through the air, they only managed to give up one touchdown, with the rest of the points being from five field goals. It didn’t help that they were forced to defend from unfavorable field position for a good chunk of the game, either.
The Panthers offensive line held their own for the most part against the Chargers defensive line, only allowing two sacks and giving QB Teddy Bridgewater time to throw the football.
There are always questionable calls, and arguably the biggest one was wide receiver Mike Williams’ offensive pass interference late in the second quarter. Williams barely put a hand on the defensive back, and had it not been called, the Chargers would’ve been on the Panthers’ 19-yard line. Instead, Justin Herbert threw an interception a few plays later.
The running game was efficient yet again, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. But the offense had to disband the ground game because they were forced to play catch-up.
If Austin Ekeler would’ve caught the pitch from Keenan Allen on the last play of the game, the Chargers would be 2-1. Ekeler had plenty of room to squeeze into the corner of the end zone.
The play-calling in crunch time was questionable, leading the offense to lacked urgency and kill a lot of the time off the clock.
Up Next
The Chargers are on the road to take on the Buccaneers. The Week 4 matchup will be played on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 10:00 a.m. PT.