Instant analysis of Chargers’ 29-21 loss to Dolphins

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez breaks down Los Angeles’ loss to Miami.

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The Chargers were outplayed in all three phases of the game in Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins.

Here is my instant analysis from Week 10:

Injury Report

The Chargers did not lose anyone to an injury today.

Play of the Game: Nick Vigil’s fumble recovery

Normally, this would be for a phenomenal throw by quarterback Justin Herbert. However, there weren’t many of those. The fumble recovery led to the Chargers’ first touchdown.

Quick Takes

Quarterback Justin Herbert had the least productive performance of his season, finishing with 20-of-32 passing for 187 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.

Herbert was unable to have much success down the field, like previous weeks, because the Dolphins did a great job of eliminating his top targets and keeping his head swirling with the various blitz packages.

To take some pressure off of Herbert, the coaching staff resorted to the running game, where running back Kalen Ballage had another productive outing. Ballage finished with 68 yards on 18 carries. He also added 34 yards on five receptions.

The coaching staff resorted to the running game to keep pressure off of Herbert, but some of it led to many third-down situations for Herbert.

The Chargers failed to have a skill player go for over 40 yards through the air. Wide receiver Keenan Allen led the pack with only 39 yards on three catches.

Lack of defensive execution led to the Dolphins scoring almost all of their points. The ones that stung the most were the close interceptions by linebackers by Kenneth Murray and Denzel Perryman.

The run defense was lackluster, once again. Undrafted running back Salvon Ahmed ran for 85 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Just like previous weeks, gap integrity and missed tackles continued to be the reasoning for it.

Special teams is a major area of concern. The unit allowed a blocked punt and committed two special teams penalties, all of which turned into points for Miami.

A bright spot in coverage was cornerback Michael Davis, who had two passes defended, both of which came in crucial moments.

The pass rush was nonexistent for the second straight week. Defensive end Joey Bosa’s absence has been evident.

Up Next

The Chargers return home to take on the Jets. Next Sunday’s game will be at 1:05 p.m. PT and will be televised on CBS.