The Chargers proved once again that they have been forsaken by the football gods on Sunday night, dropping a heartbreaking 30-27 loss to the Chiefs.
The result essentially knocks Los Angeles out of division contention, but a playoff spot is still within reach if the powers that be find it within themselves to be merciful to the powder blues.
Here’s who showed signs of encouraging development and who struggled in the loss.
Stud: Joshua Palmer
Everyone and their parents knew Keenan Allen and Mike Williams would be back in the lineup this week, but that left us with the question of Palmer. His contributions in this offense with Allen and Williams out went beyond what the box score was capable of showing. With Allen on a pitch count and Williams leaving in the first quarter after aggravating his ankle injury, the onus was again on Palmer to perform like a WR1. He did an admirable job on Sunday, hauling in 8 receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns. It’s the deep touchdown in the first quarter that shows the most promise: it came with Allen and Williams on the defense’s mind. Palmer now has a taste of what it’s like to be the No. 1 option, but he’s running downfield with little to no attention on him while defenses key in on 13 and 81. On Sunday, No. 5 proved he’s not to be ignored either.
Dud: Run defense
The Chiefs, before Sunday night, had not had an individual player run for over 100 yards in 413 days. That was Week 4 of the 2021 season. This is a team virtually allergic to running the ball – even in the first half, Andy Reid continued to avoid the ground game even as Isiah Pacheco continued to gash the Chargers depleted defensive line. In the second half, Reid adjusted and Los Angeles did not – Pacheco finished with 107 rushing yards on just 15 carries, a 7.1 yards per carry average. I get that injuries have impacted the defense – Joey Bosa, Austin Johnson, Otito Ogbonnia, and Christian Covington all missed this game and Kenneth Murray left early with a neck injury. But at some point, you have to make do with what you have, and the Chargers couldn’t do that on Sunday night.
Stud: Justin Herbert
It pains me that this game ended with a Herbert interception, which his detractors will point to as proof that he’s simply an interception thrower, despite the, well…everything else that says otherwise. Herbert looked comfortable and healthy for the majority of this game, flashing some of those downfield eye-poppers that we haven’t seen for weeks. Having Allen and Williams helped, certainly. But the deep shot to Palmer to open the game was picture-perfect. The sideline bomb to Keenan Allen to keep LA in the game in the fourth quarter was a throw fitting of an All-Pro quarterback. Herbert was his stellar self on Sunday, and the return of his playmakers, if only partially and in name, did wonders for his confidence.
Dud: Pass protection
What did not help Herbert was the pass protection this week. Coming into the game, the Chargers had only allowed 13 sacks, the fewest in the NFL. Part of that was an offensive line that’s played well above expectation, and part was Herbert’s uncanny ability to navigate the pocket and avoid negative plays. On Sunday, the collapse of the former put more bearing on the latter, and Herbert could only do so much to avoid the rush. Los Angeles allowed five sacks in just about every way imaginable. Jamaree Salyer and Matt Feiler failed to pass off a stunt correctly, resulting in a Mike Danna sack. The line shifted away from a blitzing Willie Gay to give him an untouched sack. Herbert tried to scramble and was swallowed by a hyper-aware Chris Jones. It’ll be a rough week of tape study.
Stud: Troy Reeder
Reeder was forced to come in off the bench after Kenneth Murray left with a neck injury, and he immediately made his presence felt with a pass breakup late in the third quarter that put Kansas City behind the sticks. In the fourth quarter, Reeder forced the Jerick McKinnon fumble to give the Chargers the ball back after Keenan Allen’s fumble seemed like it would be the ballgame for LA. It’s nearly impossible to play better in relief than Reeder did, and he deserves his flowers for keeping the Chargers in it.
Dud: Second-half execution
Yet again, the Chargers could not put together a full 60-minute performance. After jumping out to a 20-13 lead in a first half where Los Angeles scored ten points in each of the first two frames, they were outscored 17-7 in the second half. The third quarter especially was ugly for LA, who could not move the ball on offense nor stop the run on defense. A sack of Herbert killed the opening drive after penalties mortally wounded it. Pacheco ran wild to get the Chiefs into field goal range for the only points of the quarter. Herbert missed a wide-open Josh Palmer on a crossing route and threw it to an open patch of grass to avoid incoming pressure. Brandon Staley punted on fourth and inches. It was a huge letdown after a thrilling first half that had you believing the Chargers could hang with anyone now that their health was up and up.
Stud: Morgan Fox
Everybody knows this defensive line is shorthanded after losing Otito Ogbonnia, Christian Covington, and Jerry Tillery over the last week. Everybody knew that Sebastian Joseph-Day and Fox, the two remaining players of the six on LA’s roster heading into the bye, would have to play a huge role. Everybody, including the Chiefs, did everything they could to make someone else beat them. And time after time, it was Joseph-Day and Fox who were making plays for the Chargers. Fox, in particular, seemed to always be in the backfield, whether it was pressuring Patrick Mahomes into throwaways or penetrating rushing lanes to shut down short-yardage opportunities.
Dud: Coaching
Circling back to the second-half execution, at some point, you can’t hide behind injuries as an excuse for why this team suddenly loses steam at any given point in a game. LA hasn’t put together a complete game the entire year, but Sunday’s first half was the best they’ve looked in ages. The defense was battling, forcing Kansas City into field goal after a field goal by stiffening up in critical situations. The offense was flowing – Austin Ekeler was feasting, Isaiah Spiller had a few nice plays to keep him fresh, Justin Herbert looked like the Justin Herbert we remember from his dazzling 2021 season. And then, in the second half, they just…stopped. The defense couldn’t find answers for Travis Kelce. The run game stopped generating yards. Herbert was forced to shoulder more and more of the weight as pass concepts failed to get open.
There is a no bigger condemnation of this than Staley’s decision to punt on fourth and inches with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. The defense had just gotten off the field after an exhausting nine-play, 56-yard drive that they had managed to stop at just a Harrison Butker field goal. The offense, while struggling in the second half, showed at multiple points all game that they could get half a yard against Kansas City’s defense. Being aggressive on fourth down is supposed to be Staley’s calling card. Yes, the offense was a grind. Yes, the defense was playing well. Yes, injuries are mounting up. But I do not think you can make that call to punt and not have your players feel like you’re losing faith after the way you’ve called plays like that your entire head coaching career.
You can see it in the drive chart that follows: LA punts and Kansas City immediately goes on a 10-play, 86-yard drive that results in the touchdown to give them the lead in 4 minutes, 55 seconds. LA comes back out and fumbles on an excruciating drive whose yardage is buoyed by two gains of 11 yards each on its final two plays. It’s not until Reeder forces the fumble to turn the momentum back in the Chargers’ favor that things turn around.
Kansas City is a good team, one of the best. But this has been a season-long issue. If the first half isn’t flat, then the second half is. Is that a preparation issue, a scheme issue, or a coaching issue? We’ve proved it’s not a player issue. Replacements have come in and done their jobs as well as you can possibly ask for this season all over this roster. That should be a rallying cry, not an excuse. And through ten games, it feels like Brandon Staley and his staff are using it as an excuse.
