Chargers Effort Wasted by Turnovers

Final Score: Patriots 35, Chargers 21

Week one left Charger fans feeling like the team had turned a corner. Week two pretty much erased all those feelings. Regardless of the fact that the Patriots are a talented team, the Chargers had no excuse for the way they gave the game away.

The Chargers started out the game looking sharp with a couple of good runs by Ryan Mathews and a long play action pass completion to Vincent Jackson.

That drive sputtered however, and the Chargers found themselves trailing after Tom Brady drove the Patriots down the field on a 92 yard drive. Brady was sacked once on the drive, and the Chargers were able to pressure him several more times but he got the ball off every time after that.

The Chargers answered on their next possession with an 80 yard touchdown drive that took only seven plays and was capped by a nice run by Mathews. They would not score again in the half. The Patriots responded by going into a no huddle offense which succeeded in keeping the Chargers on their heels. They would use the no huddle throughout the game and it seemed to work well for them. Although the Pats were able to make their way down the field, the Bolts eventually made a stop and limited New England to a field goal.

The Chargers had another great drive after the field goal but stalled at the one yard line. Mike Tolbert attempted to punch it in but was caught in the backfield and the ball went back to the Patriots. The Chargers seemingly had a great chance to get the ball back in good field position with the Patriots stuck on their own one yard line, but Brady went the length of the field and threw a 19 yard touchdown to Deion Branch.

The next drive was going well for the Chargers until Phillip Rivers threw an odd interception to Patriot defensive lineman Vince Wilfork. Wilfork tipped the ball and was somehow able to hang on to it and actually made a decent return. The return was negated by a penalty which seemed to be a break for the Chargers as it put the Pats out of field goal range with nine seconds left in the half.

The Chargers, however, went into a prevent defense which gave the Patriots enough room to get into field goal range with one second left. Stephen Gostkowski hit a 47 yarder for the Pats and the teams went into the half with the New England up 20-7.

The Chargers would improve defensively in the second half, but three more turnovers would ultimately doom them.

They came out and stopped the Pats after two big gains to start the second half. Then, they drove to New England’s 17 yard line before Rivers threw a costly second interception. The Bolts were able to force a punt on the ensuing Patriot possession, but still trailed 20-7 going into the fourth quarter.

The Chargers progress from the drive following the New England punt put them at the 24 yard line to start the fourth quarter. They were able to score for the first time since the first quarter when Phillip Rivers found Vincent Jackson for a three yard touchdown. Jackson was a bright spot for the Chargers as he finished with 172 yards and two touchdowns on 10 receptions.

The Patriots seemed to open the door for the Chargers on their next drive when they went for it on a fourth down on the Chargers’ 49 yard line. An earlier injury to New England’s punter led to the unusual decision. The Chargers made the stop and had the ball in a great position to take the lead.

They would not take advantage of the opportunity because three plays into the drive Mike Tolbert fumbled and the Patriots had the ball again. They made the Chargers pay this time by scoring a touchdown and making a two point conversion to give them a full two touchdown lead.

The Chargers struck quickly to keep the game close with a three minute drive which ended in Vincent Jackson’s second touchdown of the afternoon. The Pats then struck back quickly with a drive that took just under four minutes and ended with a Benjarvus Green-Ellis touchdown run.

With just 1:54 left, the Chargers had one last chance to stay in the game. They would need a quick score followed by an onside kick to score again. They would get none of that as Phillip Rivers was sacked from behind and fumbled the ball. New England recovered and ran out the clock to end the game.

The Chargers did not play a terrible game on Sunday; in a lot of ways they played a great game.

They got into New England territory on every drive except the last one and they put up 470 yards of total offense. They also made crucial stops on defense several times.

The problem is they could not hold on to the ball, and it cost them the game.

This wouldn’t be so concerning if multiple losses like this one had not cost them a shot at the playoffs last year. It is early in the year, so at 1-1 the Chargers still have a lot of football left to get it right. Hopefully they can get it right this time, but it’s hard to be optimistic after a loss that is so reminiscent of last year.