Instant analysis of Chargers’ 38-31 loss to Buccaneers

A breakdown of the Los Angeles Chargers’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Chargers’ fate came down to the final drive, yet again. Unfortunately, the team was unable to string together a win, dropping their third consecutive game to the Buccaneers by the score of 38-31.

Here is our instant analysis from Los Angeles’ loss to Tampa Bay:

Injury Report

Running back Austin Ekeler suffered a hamstring injury late in the first quarter. Ekeler struggled to walk on his own and ended up having to be carted off. He never returned to the game, and his status remains to be seen.

Play(s) of the Game: All of Justin Herbert’s touchdown passes

Time to look back on throws of beauty.

Notable Number

10: Justin Herbert was 10 passing yards away from joining Joe Burrow on being the first quarterbacks to have 300 yards in their first three starts.

Quick Notes

There weren’t a lot of positives from this game, but one of the very few was Justin Herbert. Missing two starting offensive lineman, running back Austin Ekeler and wide receiver Mike Williams, Herbert still managed to finish 20-of-25 passing for 290 yards, three touchdowns and his lone interception that came on the final drive.

Tight end Donald Parham and Wide receiver Tyron Johnson each caught touchdowns on their first career receptions. It’s just the third time a pair of teammates have done so in the same game in the NFL in the last 40 seasons. They are the only pair of undrafted teammates to do so over that span.

Herbert continues to show drastic improvement with his pocket presence, as two of his touchdown throws were in the face of a rush. There were other instances of him diagnosing it and getting out of the pocket to make something out of nothing.

Herbert was sacked twice, but the offensive line did a great job against a Buccaneers pass rush that had six sacks last weekend.

The running game was nonexistent after running back Austin Ekeler went down. In total, the Chargers only had 46 yards rushing, with Herbert leading the pack with a measly 14 yards.

This was one of the worst defensive performances in the past couple of seasons. The defensive line was getting zero push, allowing the Buccaneers to average 4.3 yards per carry and giving quarterback Tom Brady plenty of time in the pocket to throw.

Blown coverages hurt the Chargers, but they had a few instances of getting beat on one-on-one opportunities.

The red zone defense was solid last weekend against the Panthers, but they struggled immensely, allowing Tampa Bay to convert four of their five attempts.

Sunday’s “what ifs” include “what if Joshua Kelley wouldn’t have fumbled in Chargers territory,” and “what if coach Anthony Lynn would have gone for it on fourth-down in the fourth quarter.”

Up Next

The Chargers will be on the road again to take on the Saints. The Week 5 matchup will be played on Monday, Oct. 12 at 5:15 p.m. PT.