The Chargers, it seems, cannot buy a break. Despite a back and forth second quarter that featured 35 combined points, Los Angeles dropped to 2-4 with a frustrating loss to the Chiefs on the road.
Here’s what to take away from the game.
Soft coverage
For the second game in a row, the Chargers played off coverage against a team whose bread and butter is short and intermediate passes. For the second game in a row, that gameplan did not work.
Last week against the Cowboys, the trouble was that Dallas’ receivers were able to generate YAC at a high rate against Los Angeles. This week, the issue was that LA defaulted to a pillowy zone coverage meant to stop the deep pass against Travis Kelce, one of the greatest zone busters of a generation. This is also not to mention the fact that Patrick Mahomes entered today’s game tied for 31st out of 35 qualifying quarterbacks with an average depth of target of 7 yards. In other words, the Chiefs do not throw the ball deep; they cut you with short passes and hope that one or two of them pop for extra yards on run after the catch.
Los Angeles, at this point, seems so concerned with their inability to cover the deep pass that they have ignored opponent tendency and recent game film to put every secondary member 7 yards off the ball and give them the cushion they need to stay with their matchups deep. And to their credit, that did work the few times Mahomes took those shots, including an interception by Asante Samuel Jr. But LA’s secondary players also don’t have the raw speed to catch up with receivers making lateral breaks, leading to an embarrassment of riches in the YAC department for the Chiefs offense. That opened the lane for a 179 yard day for Kelce, which simply cannot happen against a Chiefs team devoid of legitimate threats elsewhere on the field.
Tale of two halves
In the first half of this game, it seemed like we were in for a classic shootout. Both teams took a little while to get in gear, kicking a field goal in the first quarter. The second frame was defined by punches and counterpunches, with both teams notching quick scores back and forth en route to a 35 point quarter. Neither team had a drive longer than six plays in the second half.
At halftime, it felt like the offense was dialed in and the defense were the ones that needed to step up and make a stop. Evidently, the Chiefs felt the same way about their team, because the third quarter was scoreless. Kansas City fumbled, Los Angeles threw a batted ball interception in the red zone, and then the teams traded punts. Neither offense could move the ball, but the Chargers especially stagnated on the offensive end, going three and out three consecutive times following the red zone turnover.
In the end, the defense could only keep their momentum against a Patrick Mahomes leviathan for 26 and a half minutes of the second half, allowing a score with 3:30 remaining. The offense could not revive itself, and LA dropped the game. It’s the latest entry in a sickening journal of Chargers games that lack complementary football.
Expecting perfection
There are many problems with this Chargers team, macro and micro. But perhaps the biggest one is that everything feels like it has to be perfect for LA to even have a chance to keep themselves in the game.
With the way the defense played in the first half, the offense had to be perfect in order to keep pace and keep the Chargers in the game. The Chiefs dictated the procession of this game: they kicked a field goal, so LA kicked a field goal. They scored a touchdown, so the Chargers needed a touchdown. Then that happened a second time. Kansas City threw an interception and the offense had to convert to wrest control of the path of the game, but instead they were forced to punt and the defense gave up a touchdown to put them down at half.
In the second half, it was the defense and special teams asked to be perfect over and over again. Eric Kendricks forces a fumble and the Chargers can’t convert it into a score, so the defense has to respond by forcing a punt. LA goes three and out and punts on fourth and 2, needing a 65 yard pinpoint punt from JK Scott to flip field position. Another three and out with a punt from near midfield and Scott is asked to stick it inside the ten again. He obliges and the Chargers force another punt, but LA’s offense goes three and out again. And finally, the special teams blinked on the third go round, giving up a 50 yard punt return to Mecole Hardman that set up the touchdown to put the game out of reach.
The Joshua Palmer conversation
It has been a difficult season for the Chargers at every level. That’s bred a lot of negativity, so I’m going to close this article with a positive takeaway to try to maintain some level of sanity. Joshua Palmer is balling and there is reason to believe he can be a legitimate contributor for the rest of this year and beyond.
Palmer had five catches for 133 yards on seven targets after a potential 100 yard game against the Cowboys was wiped out by penalties. About half of his yardage came on a 60 yard downfield shot in the second quarter, where he beat his man and found himself wide open on a deep over route. Three more of his targets came on the final possession – an incompletion on a solid pass breakup by Chiefs safety Justin Reid, a 19 yard leaping grab in double coverage on 4th and 16, and a 22 yard chain mover at the two minute warning.
There’s been plenty of conversation about another Chargers receiver, Quentin Johnston, who was drafted in part to be a long-term Mike Williams replacement. Prior to the season, those around the team insisted that Johnston’s placement as WR4 on the depth chart had more to say about Palmer than about Johnston. With Williams out for the season with a torn ACL, Palmer has stepped into a larger role and thrived, proving the team right for speaking so highly of him at every turn.
The Canadian isn’t going to be a WR1 in the league anytime soon, but his emergence as a legitimate secondary threat next to Keenan Allen is a hugely important development for this Chargers offense without Williams. Palmer also clearly has a rapport with Justin Herbert as evidenced by those three targets on the final drive of the game, and it seems reasonable to believe that their chemistry should only improve if he continues to make plays like he did on Sunday.
