INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Despite an off-day from their star quarterback, the Chargers again found themselves with an opportunity to tie or win a one-score game, but a late interception by Justin Herbert sealed a 20-17 loss to the Cowboys.
Immediately following the two-minute warning, Herbert was sacked by Micah Parsons after the two-time All-Pro burst through the middle of the Chargers’ pass protection to register his first sack of the night. On the next play, the Cowboys again got pressure and Herbert was intercepted, ending the game and sending L.A. to 2-3.
“I think our offense gave us a chance, this was just a really tough game,” said head coach Brandon Staley after the loss. “When you have two teams like this that have that much talent on the field, it’s gonna be really close.”
The Chargers started well in both phases, forcing a three-and-out on the Cowboys’ opening drive, then driving down the field and scoring on a one-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Allen.
But, the Cowboys answered fast, tying the game 7-7. Each team’s defense sturdied up from there, though, with just six total points being scored in the second and third quarters.
L.A.’s defense held Tony Pollard to two yards per carry, with another standout performance from linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr., who led the team with nine tackles.
“I thought, defensively, we played well enough to win,” Staley said.
The Chargers sacked quarterback Dak Prescott five times while Herbert was dropped just once, but again L.A. fell when it mattered most.
After three quarters, the Chargers had held the Cowboys to just two conversions on nine third downs, but failed to stop Dallas on four key third downs in the fourth quarter that ultimately decided the game.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Tony Pollard caught a pass for a first down on third-and-11 before breaking a tackle for sixty yards, setting Dallas up in the Red Zone for an eventual go-ahead TD.
Then, on their next and final possession, the Cowboys converted on all three of their third down attempts, one of which came via a costly Chargers penalty.
Penalties defined the night, with Dallas taking eleven for 85 yards while L.A. took nine for 79, including two unnecessary roughness penalties against safety Derwin James. James now leads the league in personal fouls with four, though Staley declined to comment on whether he was concerned about the All-Pro’s discipline.
As is becoming a theme for L.A., Staley’s team played well enough to win in many facets, hanging with one of the best teams in the NFL. But in the clutch, the Cowboys stepped up while the Chargers faltered.
When asked about his team’s late-game struggles after the loss, Staley instead praised his defense, citing that L.A.’s is one of the top third-down defenses in the NFL.
“I thought we pressured the quarterback at a high level, but Dak [Prescott] made a couple plays on that last drive and it hurt us,” he said.
Wide receiver Joshua Palmer was active despite being questionable with a groin injury, making an incredible one-handed catch in addition to a productive game all-around, while Keenan Allen again showed he is one of the premier wideouts in the league with seven receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown.
But unlike previous games this season, Herbert failed to find his receivers consistently against Dallas. His 59 percent completion was well below his season and career averages, and a late-game INT cost L.A. the game. The former Oregon Duck twice missed a wide-open Allen on plays that might’ve easily resulted in touchdowns.
“I missed a couple receivers, threw some bad passes,” said Herbert. “There was a lot left out there, so there’s a lot to work on and a lot to improve on.”
Staley was reluctant to blame Herbert for the loss, and insisted that it wasn’t all bad from his star quarterback.
“[Herbert] missed Keenan [Allen] on the double move, but that’s just part of ball. He definitely gave us a chance to win in the game, he competed and we were right there at the end. We’ve got to put this one behind us and get moving.”
After coming out of their bye week to a crushing loss, the Chargers will look to Austin Ekeler to get the ground game going as they prepare to play the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium this Sunday.
Ekeler returned from injury against Dallas, but not before taking a punch from Cowboys’ Dante Fowler in a pregame brawl during warmups. After an incredible Week 1 performance and subsequent ankle injury, Ekeler rushed for just 27 yards on 14 carries to go along with 35 receiving yards.
“It takes all eleven people,” Staley said on the Chargers’ struggling running game. “We’re a work in progress, but we definitely didn’t play well enough at the line of scrimmage and we have to improve.”
Still, the Chargers have plenty of reasons to be hopeful of an upset this week.
Though Patrick Mahomes has lost just eight home games in his career, three have come at the hands of the Chargers, more than any other team.)
After superstar tight end Travis Kelce, the Chiefs don’t have another proven receiving option. Having slowed down Pollard, if L.A. can do the same to Chiefs running back Pacheco it can give its pass rushers more opportunities against a Chiefs offensive line whose interior is a strength, but is susceptible to pressure from the edge.
Kansas City’s defense is much improved this season, ranking second in the league in points allowed per game according to ESPN, but Justin Herbert averages 290 yards and 2.5 touchdowns per game against the Chiefs in his career. Staring down the possibility of a 2-4 start, I like the Chargers to pull off the upset this week.