From the get go, the Los Angeles Chargers didn’t look like their normal selves and it reflected in the 24-17 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday afternoon.
The offense went three consecutive drives without a first down. It was a result of penalties, dropped passes and failing to get anything going in the running game. On the other side of the ball, the defense gave up too many big plays.
For coach Anthony Lynn, it wasn’t so much that players didn’t feel there was anything to play for, which might’ve been the assumption for how they appeared on the field, but more so the lack of execution on all three phases of the game.
“When you start out with two penalties, it’s a slow start,” Lynn said. “The first three drives were three-and-out. That wasn’t good. It wasn’t a lack of passion. It was lack of execution,” Lynn said.
The Chargers have struggled to put points on the board early on in games, which has been one of the reasons why they can’t find ways to win contests. They have went scoreless in the first quarter of six games this season.
The rushing attack was one of the reasons why they failed to have more opportunities to get into scoring position, as the unit finished with an underwhelming 19 yards on 16 carries.
The offensive line deserves some blame, as Oakland’s defensive line got the best of them. It didn’t help that they were without left tackle Russell Okung, which forced them to go with rookie Trey Pipkins.
But overall, Lynn was pleased in Pipkins’ performance as a whole. There’s a chance that we could see him again this Sunday against the Chiefs based on Lynn’s remarks.
“I thought Trey started out a little slow. He had the early penalty and the quarterback hit, a sack. But he got more comfortable as the game went on. So, we’ll look at him again this weekend,” Lynn said.
The Chargers, who are 5-10, have not had a lot of things go their way this season. Despite how close games have been played, they have not been able to execute and finish them as 14 of their 15 games have been determined by no more than a touchdown.
“We’ve had a lot happen to this team in a lot of ways,” Lynn says. “Just having a losing season stings. It stinks, too. We’re frustrated about that, but there’s nothing we can do about that right now.”