The stage was set. The comeback was on. Only no one told Quentin Johnston.
The Los Angeles Chargers had the ball at their own 30 yard line with no timeouts left trailing the Green Bay Packers 23-20. That’s when Justin Herbert spotted Johnston, the first round rookie drafted ahead of other starters like Zay Flowers, Jordan Addison and Tank Dell, streaking down the right sideline.
Johnston had more than a step of separation on fellow rookie Carrington Valentine. He used a late burst to catch up to a ball rapidly falling into his outstretched hands. Holding on here would have cleared the path for a 70-yard touchdown and three-point Charger lead in the waning seconds of Week 11.
This is not what Quentin Johnston did.
Quentin Johnston could have won this game for the Chargers pic.twitter.com/v9dUQj1OVr
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) November 19, 2023
The rookie couldn’t hang on, the ball caromed to the turf and two plays later — a Packers offsides penalty and an incompletion — Green Bay escaped with just its second win in the last eight weeks. It was yet another frustrating moment for one of the football gods’ favorite punching bags, as the Chargers fell to 4-6 and deep into the periphery of the AFC playoff race.
Needless to say, fans and analysts absolutely lost it online after the drop.