The Chargers came out of their bye week with the same problems that have followed them all season, and Sunday’s 24-9 loss to the Rams at SoFi Stadium only made that harder to ignore. Jim Harbaugh’s team fell to 0-7, and the offense once again looked stuck in place while the defense spent long stretches trying to keep the game from getting away.
The most glaring issue is the one that keeps getting worse. Los Angeles has now gone 27 drives without a touchdown, a drought that stretches back to the third quarter against the Broncos in Week 5.
Even with Joe Alt back from a neck injury, the run game never got going and finished at 2.6 yards per carry. Cole Strange and Jake Slaughter continued to struggle, even as other pieces around them changed.
The Chargers chose not to move on from offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel during the bye, apparently hoping the return of Alt and Ladd McConkey, who has been in and out with a foot injury and concussion, would spark something. It didn’t.
Justin Herbert’s season keeps sliding in the wrong direction, too. He is now the only NFL quarterback to throw an interception in every game his team has played.
Both of his picks on Sunday were rough. On the first, there was at least a case to be made that Herbert trusted his arm too much trying to fit the ball past Rams safety Quentin Lake and into tight end Charlie Kolar.
The second was worse, with Herbert losing track of Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie, a mistake broken down on the TV broadcast by color analyst and Hall of Famer Drew Brees. That kind of error used to be rare for Herbert.
This year, it has become a pattern.
And yet, for much of the afternoon, the Chargers were still hanging around. Their defense set the tone early with Tarheeb Still’s interception of Matthew Stafford on the opening drive, but the offense gave it right back after losing three yards and punting.
Chris O'Leary’s defense held the Rams to three points after Herbert’s first interception and forced three three-and-outs in the first five drives. Still, the offense couldn’t cash in on the opportunities it was given.
The Chargers settled for field goals on 4th & 3 from the 28-yard line and 4th & 3 from the 23-yard line to take a 9-3 lead, then watched the Rams answer with a big play to Tutu Atwell and a touchdown before halftime. Even when the Rams handed them good field position twice with short kickoffs that were fielded at the Chargers’ own 40-yard line, Los Angeles came away empty.
One drive ended with an improbable Hail Mary short of the goal line; the other ended in a three-and-out.
The defense, though, keeps giving the Chargers something to point to. Still’s interception was the reward for a strong season.
Tony Jefferson led the team in tackles and continued his habit of stopping runners short of the line to gain or the goal line. Isas Waxter, elevated from the practice squad because of three injuries at corner, made two tackles for loss against Puka Nacua.
Tuli Tuipulotu added his third sack of the year, and rookie Akheem Mesidor kept forcing Stafford into quick decisions. Teair Tart even had a sack wiped out by defensive holding.
There was also a late fade against the run that helped close the door. Blake Corum and Kyren Williams combined for 27 carries, 129 yards and two touchdowns, a modest line for a Chargers defense that entered the week sixth in the league in rushing yards allowed.
The first half was much tighter, with Los Angeles holding the Rams to five carries for 10 yards, including Williams’ 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. But as the game wore on and the Chargers’ offense stayed stuck, the defense started to wear down.
Corum and Williams finished with 14 carries for 51 yards in the fourth quarter alone as the Rams pulled away.
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Protection up front is a major part of the equation against a Rams front that can wreck a game plan, especially with Aaron Donald and Byron Young coming after the pocket. The Chargers are also trying to sort out an inconsistent running game while dealing with offensive line injuries, and even with Joe Alt trending toward availability, Rashawn Slater remains on injured reserve. How those moving parts hold up will go a long way toward deciding whether this feels like a post-bye reset or another familiar problem. [Read more 🡒]