The Chargers lost to the 49ers on Sunday night.
To recap the game, here is everything to know:
It was over when...
The Chargers turned the ball over on downs from their own 8 with less than two minutes remaining. The defense managed to hold the 49ers to a field goal. But Justin Herbert threw an interception when they got the ball back. Ball game.
Game notes
- The Chargers entered this game as the most injured team in the NFL. Aside from notable missing players, Rashawn Slater, Joey Bosa, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, they were also without Trey Pipkins, who is dealing with a sprained MCL.
- With Pipkins sidelined, Foster Sarell got the start at right tackle. Sarell got help with chip blocks on his side. But when he did not, Sarell got beat far more often than not. He allowed a sack to Nick Bosa and a handful of pressures.
- The injury bug continued to bite them in this game, as it got to defensive tackles Otito Ogbonnia and Christian Covington. The interior defensive line was already thin, with Austin Johnson out for the season and Jerry Tillery waived a few days ago.
- That left the interior defensive line room with Sebastian Joseph-Day, Morgan Fox and Breiden Fehoko. Despite being limited with players at the position, I thought they did a good job of occupying gaps and allowing second and third-level defenders to come up make plays in the run game.
- Running backs Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell combined to average 3.9 yards per carry, and both of their longest carries went for just 12 yards. Not too shabby against an offense that relies heavily on the ground game.
- The tight end group grew thin when Gerald Everett suffered a groin injury early in the game. Donald Parham is on the injured reserve with a hamstring injury. After Everett went out, that left the position room with Tre’ McKitty and Richard Rodgers.
- McKitty became one of Justin Herbert’s pass-catching targets. And his lack of usage in this department became evident when Herbert had him open down the seam, and the ball went right through his fingers. Had McKitty caught the ball, it would’ve been a score and given the Chargers a two-touchdown lead.
- It seemed like Joe Lombardi was going to be in his bag when the Chargers scored on the first offensive possession. But the output became shaky soon after.
- They managed to get three field goals before the half, even though they were all prime touchdown opportunities, given the starting field position, specifically the first two. The first was on the forced fumble on Brandon Aiyuk. The second was after Nick Niemann deflected Mitch Wishnowsky’s punt. The third was right before the half when Herbert had to be taken out of the game to be evaluated for a concussion after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit by Dre Greenlaw. Herbert seemed to have all that momentum, but he had to come off the field. Chase Daniel came in and did nothing positive.
- But out of the tunnel, the Chargers were worse on offense, and it was evident the 49ers made the necessary adjustments to their defense. Their offensive possessions resulted in three consecutive punts, a turnover on downs and an interception. They produced just 52 yards.
- While you can point to the team missing its starting offensive tackles and top wide receivers for the offense stalling, Lombardi deserves some blame.
- In the second half, the Chargers ran the ball six times on eight first downs against one of the league’s best run defenses. Of those, Austin Ekeler gained 12 yards on one of the carries. The rest went for two, two, two, a loss of one and six yards, which was a jet sweep by DeAndre Carter right at Nick Bosa.
- To go even further on Lombardi’s head-scratching scheming, the offense lacked the creativity and effort with their route concepts to get receivers open, making it easier for the 49ers to defend. This has been an issue all season.
- When the Niners started to get more pressure on Herbert, he took a step back from taking some shots down the field and resorting to one read and checking the ball down.
- It was only a matter of time until Derwin James forced a turnover. On an 18-yard reception by Brandon Aiyuk, James knocked the ball loose with his helmet. Asante Samuel Jr. recovered. This was the fourth straight game the Chargers recovered an opponent’s fumble, tied for the longest active streak in the NFL.
- Special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken’s group continued to be a bright spot. Niemann had a blocked punt. Cameron Dicker made all three field goal attempts, including one from 47 yards and his lone extra point. J.K. Scott averaged 40 yards per punt.
3 stars of the game
- WR DeAndre Carter: 4 catches, 64 yards, touchdown
- S Derwin James: 13 tackles, forced fumble
- EDGE Khalil Mack: Sack
What's next?
The Chargers return to SoFi Stadium to take on the Chiefs (7-2) next Sunday night at 5:20 pm PT.
