Tag: Chargers recap

Everything we know about Chargers’ loss to 49ers in preseason Week 2

Recapping the Chargers’ preseason loss to the 49ers.

In a relatively low-scoring affair, the Chargers were unable to come out on top over the 49ers, losing by the score of 15-10.

To recap Sunday’s preseason matchup, here is everything we know:

It was over when….

49ers quarterback Trey Lance found wide receiver Travis Benjamin in the end zone with six minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Chargers had five opportunities after the score to take the lead again but were unable to.

Keys of the game

The two teams combined for 25 penalties.

The Chargers forced three turnovers, but only managed to capitalize off of one of them.

The offense was only 2-of-11 on third-down situations.

The offensive unit only combined for 171 yards of total offense.

3 stars of the game

QB Easton Stick: 10-of-14, 85 passing yards, one touchdown, three carries for 15 yards

EDGE Kyler Fackrell: Two tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, three quarterback hits

LB Nick Niemann: 8 total tackles, one tackle for loss

Quick-hitters

With his performance, Stick made the battle for Justin Herbert’s backup a lot more interesting. Chase Daniel, on the other hand, didn’t help his cause, only amassing 60 yards passing on 21 attempts, in addition to an interception.

Stick and Daniel were sacked five times and pressured on multiple occasions, which particularly speaks for the lack of offensive line depth, including Trey Pipkins or Storm Norton, who have not proven themselves as reliable swing tackles.

Neither Joshua Kelley or Larry Rountree III separated themselves in the battle of the backfield, as the two only combined for 21 yards on 15 carries. However, they both made some nice plays in the passing game.

The interior part of the defensive line was strong in the pass-rush department, but they weren’t as effective in the run game, as the Niners averaged four yards per carry.

Luckily for the guys in the trenches, the second line of defense was nearly always there to clean things up, including Niemann and Cole Christiansen, who combined for 15 tackles.

There wasn’t much to take away from the kicking battle, considering there was only one field goal attempt, which was executed by Michael Badgley from 50 yards out.

Speaking of special teams, the coverage wasn’t all that great. San Francisco averaged 20 yards on their kick returns and 18 yards on their punt returns.

What’s next?

The Chargers close out the preseason slate on the road against the Seahawks on Saturday, Aug. 28 at 7:00 pm PT.

The good, the bad and the ugly from Chargers’ 30-27 loss to Saints

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out the good, the bad and the ugly from the Los Angeles Chargers’ loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The Chargers lost to the Saints in overtime on Monday Night Football in typical fashion, leading by 17 points and letting it slip away. Los Angeles will have plenty of reflecting heading into their bye week.

But before that, here’s a look at the good, the bad and the ugly from Week 5:

The Good

QB Justin Herbert: What more could you ask for from Herbert? The rookie went toe to toe with future Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees, finishing 20-of-34 passing for 264 yards and four touchdowns, which marks the most in MNF history. Herbert did this all while being in the face of pressure all night, and missing some of his top skill players (Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler). The future is bright.

WR Mike Williams: We knew it was a matter of time until Herbert started taking more deep shots to Williams. After Allen went down, Williams became Herbert’s go-to target. He turned eight targets into five catches for 109 yards and two scores, including an outstanding grab in the fourth quarter that put the Chargers in position for the go-ahead field goal (which was missed).

Run defense: Before the game, I said that the Chargers must find a way to minimize Saints running back Alvin Kamara’s effect on the game. While Kamara made some splash days through the air, him and RB Latavius Murray struggled to get anything going on the ground, failing to go over 100 yards. Credit goes to defensive tackle Linval Joseph, edge defender Uchenna Nwosu, linebackers Kenneth Murray, Kyzir White and safety Rayshawn Jenkins, all of whom played vital roles in the run game.

The Bad

Offensive line: The offensive line had no answer for the Saints pass rush. Herbert was sacked three times and was pressured 14 times (37.8% pressure rate, the defense’s highest in a game this season), per Next Gen Stats. The offense managed managed to go over 100 yards on the ground, but the guys up front failed to get push more often than not.

Conservative play-calling in the second half: Roll with what’s working. The Chargers failed to do so out of the locker room when they had the lead. They took the conservative route rather than being aggressive on early downs by choosing to run the ball on nine of their 14 first-down plays in the second half and overtime. The result? They averaged only 1.11 yards per carry on their first-down rush attempts. While it speaks to the lack of trust they had in the offensive line in pass protection, Herbert showed that he was capable of overcoming the copious amount of pressure.

Punt coverage: Special teams isn’t talked about often, but the Chargers have the worst special teams rating in the NFL, per Football Outsiders. Ty Long was close to having a few of his punts blocked, which speaks to the poor punt protection. Meanwhile, the Saints were set up in ideal field position all night (barring a couple called back due to penalties) due to the lackluster coverage.

The Ugly

Second-half defense: There were some positives on the defensive side of the ball, including the run defense, which was mentioned above. Along with that, free safety Nasir Adderley picked up his first career interception. But other than that, the unit fell apart when they had a commanding lead. Soft/busted coverages and lack of pressure led to quarterback Drew Brees’ comeback after being down 17 points. The unit is banged up, and the bye week couldn’t have come at a better time to get healthy.

Michael Badgley: The Chargers could’ve sworn that the kicking nightmares were behind them. But last night was a flashback to a couple of seasons ago when they had their kicker carousel. Badgley missed an extra point on the team’s first touchdown and the go-ahead 50-yard field goal, leaving four points on the field, which would’ve enough to give them the victory. Last week, Badgley missed a field goal, too. His seat is getting warm.

Instant analysis of Chargers’ 30-27 loss to Saints

Breakdown of the Los Angeles Chargers’ 30-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The Chargers once again had their opponent right where they wanted them early on in the contest, but they ultimately let the contest slip away, allowing the Saints to claw their way back in. The result? Los Angeles lost to New Orleans, 30-27 in overtime.

Here is our instant analysis from the Monday night matchup:

Injury Report

Wide receiver Keenan Allen suffered a back injury early on in the contest. Allen was attended by the team’s trainers, but he was ruled out following the half. His status remains to be seen.

Edge defender Uchenna Nwosu went down in the fourth quarter. Nwosu was spotted in the medical tent and never returned to the field. His status is up in the air.

Cornerback Casey Hayward left in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury. Hayward was replaced by Brandon Facyson.

Play of the Game: Mike Williams’ phenomenal catch

Rookie quarterback Justin Herbert made some outstanding throws all night, but the most eyebrow-raising play came in the fourth quarter when he connected with Williams, where he went up over two defenders to reel in the pass.

Notable Number

4: Justin Herbert made history by becoming the first rookie to throw 4 touchdowns on Monday Night Football.

Quick Notes

What more can you expect from Herbert? The rookie went toe to toe with future Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees, finishing 20-of-34 passing for 264 yards and four touchdowns. Herbert did this all while being in the face of pressure all night.

Herbert did miss some throws, including a crucial one to a wide open K.J. Hill in overtime, but it will come with timing and experience. The positives still outweigh the negatives.

Speaking of being under duress, the Chargers offensive line had no answer for the Saints pass rush. Herbert was sacked three times and was pressured 14 times (37.8% pressure rate, the defense’s highest in a game this season), per Next Gen Stats.

The Chargers took the conservative route rather than being aggressive on early downs, especially late in the game, which speaks to the lack of trust they have in the offensive line in pass protection.

Justin Jackson led the backfield with 42 snaps as opposed to Joshua Kelley with 25. Jackson took advantage of his carries, turning the 15 of them into 71 yards (4.7 YPC). Meanwhile, Kelley had yet again another underwhelming performance, failing to go over 30 yards on the ground.

We knew it was a matter of time until Herbert started taking more deep shots to Mike Williams. After Allen went down, Williams became Herbert’s go-to target. Williams turned eight targets into five catches for 109 yards and two scores.

The defense did a nice job limiting Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray to less than 100 yards rushing. Kyzir White, Rayshawn Jenkins and Kenneth Murray did their jobs to close in on plays. Kudos also goes to Linval Joseph and Uchenna Nwosu, who played vital roles in the run game.

It was only a matter of time until Brees was going to start finding holes in the secondary. Blown coverages and being blatantly out beat were a theme in the second half. Emmanuel Sanders was his go-to target and they flat out flourished, combining for 122 yards on 12 catches.

While White led the team in tackles (15), he continues to be a liability in coverage.

Michael Badgley has to be on the hot seat. Badgley missed an extra point on the team’s first touchdown and the go-ahead 50-yard field goal.

Up Next

The Chargers were set to host the Jets next Sunday, but they will now enjoy their bye week after the schedule change. Los Angeles’ next game will be against the Jaguars on Oct. 25 at 1:25 p.m. PT.

Instant analysis of Chargers’ 21-16 loss to Panthers

Breakdown of the Los Angeles Chargers’ loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 4.

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.

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.