The Los Angeles Chargers just keep finding ways to lose.
L.A. once again demonstrated their ability to win this week, holding a narrow 24-20 lead late into the fourth quarter before their defense faltered again when it mattered most. Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehills’s 49-yard completion on the first play of their final drive in regulation positioned the team for an easy four-yard touchdown pass with 2:22 remaining to put them ahead.
“Defensively, we’ve got a lot of closers,” head coach Brandon Staley said after the loss. “We’ve just got to do it together as a team.”
Quarterback Justin Herbert was able to drive his team into field goal range as time wound down, with 60 of his 305 passing yards coming in the Charger’s final drive, but ran out of time for a winning touchdown. The Chargers made it into the endzone on just two of their five trips to the Red Zone against Tennessee, allowing the Titans to stay within touching distance throughout the game.
Chargers Kicker Cameron Dicker sent the game to overtime as time expired with a 33-yard field goal, but Herbert and the offense were unable to move the ball in overtime. The Chargers defense was also unable to stop Tennessee from mounting a game-winning field goal drive the following possession.
After losing two close games in a row, L.A. looks ahead to the Minnesota Vikings, a team in a similarly precarious situation.
Minnesota also sits at 0-2 after two one-score losses of its own, but has established a reputation for winning close games. The Vikings went a whopping 11-0 in one-score games last season, propelling them to an unexpected division title.
In their latest loss, quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns, including eleven completions to star wideout Justin Jefferson for 159 yards. Having already given up 215 yards and two touchdowns to Tyreek Hill, one of the league’s top receivers, this season, L.A. will now look to contain Jefferson, arguably the best of the best. For the Chargers to end their losing streak, they’ll likely have to find a way to contain him, especially in the clutch. 51 of Hill’s yards as well as one of his touchdowns came in Miami’s game-winning drive, and a similar negligence for Jefferson would be a death sentence for L.A.
Staley will look to his defensive line to put pressure on Cousins, who was hit ten times and sacked twice in Philadelphia last week. The Chargers defensive line had a bounce-back game in Tennessee, headlined by Joey Bosa’s two sacks.
Staley noted Bosa’s “aggressive” performance against the Titans, after a hamstring injury kept the edge rusher’s game status in doubt throughout the week.
Similar production from L.A.’s defense, who had five sacks as a unit, will be necessary to get a victory against Minnesota.
While the Chargers offense has its standouts—Keenan Allen dominated Tennessee’s secondary with eight receptions for 111 yards and two touchdowns—it missed dearly running back Austin Ekeler, especially on third down. After gaining 233 yards on the ground in Week 1, L.A. rushed for just 61 on Sunday. On 14 third down attempts, Herbert and the offense moved the chains just twice.
Staley said there is “no update” on Ekeler’s ankle ahead of Sunday’s trip to Minnesota.
With both teams eager to win their first game of the season, the Vikings’ close-game prowess may be too much for the Chargers, especially if L.A.’s third down and Red Zone struggles continue.
The Chargers will play the Vikings Sunday in Minneapolis at 10:00 a.m. PDT.