It was more of the same for the struggling Los Angeles Chargers’ offense coming out of their bye week.
asserted
It → struggle → week
Same inability to score touchdowns, a streak that now stretches to nine quarters.
asserted
that → score → quarters
Same issues with turnovers, with Justin Herbert throwing two interceptions.
asserted
Herbert → throw → interceptions
And the same result, a 24-9 loss to the Rams on Sunday which leaves them winless through seven games.
asserted
which → leave → games
“It’s really tough,” Herbert said.
asserted
Herbert → ’ → ?
“I feel for the defense, I feel for the team, and nobody feels worse.”
Coach Jim Harbaugh said McDaniel will continue to oversee the offense, which came in as the lowest-scoring unit in the NFL at 15 points per game and only meaningfully threatened to reach the end zone on a Hail Mary throw from Herbert at the end of the first half.
asserted
which → feel → half
Wide receiver Quentin Johnston nearly came out of a pile of Rams defenders with the ball, only for safety Kamren Kinchens to jar it loose, sending it to Ladd McConkey to catch at the 1.
asserted
Kinchens → come → 1
Kinchens and cornerback Jaylen Watson alertly came together to tackle McConkey before he could reach the goal line.
uncertain
he → come → line
Those are the kind of breaks the Chargers haven’t been able to capitalize on during Harbaugh’s worst season as a head coach in college or the NFL, leaving him to preach a message of togetherness.
asserted
Chargers → capitalize → togetherness
“We’re the only ones that have the opportunity to change it, fix it, and that’s what we’re gonna do, go back to work,” he said.
asserted
he → ’re → work
“Not been in this position that many times either here, you know, as a coach.
asserted
you → know → coach
But we got to be dedicated ourselves to getting this turned.
asserted
this → got → ?
That’s where we’re at.”
asserted
we → ’ → where
Harbaugh continues to support Herbert
asserted
Harbaugh → continue → Herbert
In addition to standing by McDaniel, Harbaugh also expressed his support for Herbert, who went 24 of 32 for 257 yards and now leads the league with 10 interceptions.
asserted
who → stand → interceptions
The second pick was particularly shocking, with Herbert seemingly not seeing Trent McDuffie as the underneath defender in coverage on tight end Charlie Kolar and throwing it right to the Rams’ star cornerback.
asserted
Herbert → see → cornerback
This is Herbert’s fifth season with at least 10 interceptions in his seven years with the Chargers, and it seems likely he will blow past his career high of 15 picks in 17 games during the 2021 campaign.
asserted
he → seem → campaign
“Yeah, I mean, that’s part of the game, and it’s the unfortunate part of where we’re at.
asserted
we → mean → where
And I’d love to have played better and made better decisions, but, you know, I haven’t, and that’s something I have to work on and continue to get better at,” he said.
asserted
he → love → decisions
Herbert has also fumbled seven times and lost two of them.
asserted
Herbert → fumble → them
That number should be three, but Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald couldn’t pick up a strip-sack along the sideline.
asserted
Donald → pick → sideline
There were other all-too-familiar problems around the Chargers’ touted quarterback, who took two more sacks and four more hits.
asserted
who → be → sacks
The ground game accounted for just 2.6 yards per carry, finishing with 64 yards on 25 carries.
asserted
game → account → carries
Omarion Hampton, the 2025 first-round pick who was supposed to become Harbaugh’s latest bell-cow tailback, had 20 yards on nine attempts and didn’t make much of an impact as a receiver.
asserted
who → suppose → receiver
Frequently forced into third-and-long, the offense was 6 of 15 (40%) on those money downs.
asserted
offense → force → downs
On their one trip inside the red zone, the Chargers had to settle for a field goal by Cameron Dicker.
asserted
Chargers → have → Dicker
Offensive tackle Joe Alt summed up the performance as “frustrating.”
asserted
Alt → sum → performance
“You want to come up with a win,” he said.
asserted
he → want → win
“As a player, as a unit of the offensive line, we got to be better.
asserted
we → get → line
I mean, just the scoreboard reflects that, and that’s all I really can say.
asserted
I → mean → that
We got to be better.
asserted
We → get → ?
We got to score more points.
asserted
We → got → points
We got to play together more.
asserted
We → get → ?
We got to get more passing yards, more rushing yards.
asserted
We → got → yards
It’s just how it’s got to go.”
asserted
it → ’ → ?
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