The Chargers opened up the season in a wire-to-wire affair with the Dolphins, resulting in a 36-34 loss.
To recap Week 1, here is everything you need to know:
It was over when...
The Chargers got the ball back down two points with 1:45 remaining. Justin Herbert was sacked by Jaelan Phillips on 4th and 12.
Keys to the game
- The Chargers allowed 536 yards, 466 of those being through the air.
- Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill made up nearly half of Miami’s passing offense, finishing with 215 receiving yards on 11 catches for two touchdowns.
- The Chargers defense finished with zero sacks.
- The Chargers offense produced 234 yards on the ground.
- The Chargers were 9 of 15 on third down and 4 of 5 in the red zone.
3 stars of the game
- RB Austin Ekeler: 16 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown
- RB Joshua Kelley: 16 rushes for 91 yards and a score
- The Chargers offensive line, which is at full strength after missing Rashawn Slater for most of last season, for paving the way for Ekeler and Kelley.
Quick Hits
- There weren’t a lot of bright spots for the Chargers, but the lone one was Kellen Moore’s rushing attack. Ekeler and Kelley combined for 208 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 32 carries (6.5 yards per carry).
- On the other hand, quarterback Justin Herbert finished with 22 of 33 passing for 228 yards and a touchdown. Herbert had a couple of really good throws, most notably the 36-yard completion to Keenan Allen on their first drive. But defensive coordinator Vic Fangio did a great job of taking the intermediate and deep parts of the field, so Herbert didn’t have a lot of opportunities to uncork it.
- Keenan Allen led all pass catchers with six receptions for 76 yards.
- Credit to Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and Tagovailoa for putting together an excellent offensive game plan, but Brandon Staley deserves most of the blame for this loss.
- After a defensive masterclass last season against Miami, it was an utter disaster this time around. The Dolphins dominated the middle of the field and the Chargers’ cornerbacks could not keep up with the speed of their receivers.
- J.C. Jackson’s return after missing most of last season with a ruptured patellar tendon was highly anticipated, but unfortunately, he did not perform well. Jackson got beat in coverage multiple times, including on a touchdown to Hill. But he had a few mental mistakes to go with it, with the first being a pass interference at the end of the first half that resulted in a field goal for the Dolphins. And on his lone interception in the end zone, Jackson took it out instead of taking a knee. Los Angeles punted. It turned it into a short field for Miami, which they converted into a touchdown.
- Tagovailoa often got the ball out, quickly but it still didn’t help that the Chargers’ pass rush was nonexistent. Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack were stymied the whole game. This was against backup left tackle Kendall Lamm, who played for the injured Terron Armstead and Austin Jackson. As a whole, they failed to bring down Tagovailoa once.
What's next?
The Chargers are on the road where they will face the Titans on Sunday, Sept. 17 at 10:00 a.m. PT.
