Wins in close games evade the Chargers

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – In a 20-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the defense of the Los Angeles Chargers played one of its best games of the season. Sure, the Ravens rushed for 197 yards in the game.

But Baltimore couldn’t seal the deal on their ninth win on the season until very late in the fourth quarter of the ballgame when wide receiver Zay Flowers zipped 37 yards to the game-clinching touchdown run.

“We were in a get-the-ball-back defense and they cut back on our guy. We knew that [Ravens QB] Lamar [Jackson] was going to be involved in the run game, we took away that aspect of it. Just got beat, man-on-man, on the cutback,” Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said after the game during a postgame press conference.

Linebackers Khalil Mack (52), Kenneth Murray Jr. (9) and safety Alohi Gilman (32) of the Los Angeles Chargers surround Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) during a Sunday Night Football game on Nov. 26, 2023. Baltimore defeated the Chargers, 20-10. Photo credit: Melinda Meijer (Courtesy of The Bulletin)

Outside of that burst, the Chargers defense kept Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense in check when it counted. The Chargers limited Jackson to 177 yards passing and kept him from breaking off the explosive runs he is known for. Jackson got by with 39 yards running the football.

The Chargers’ defense stood tall particularly on third down. For the game, Jackson and Baltimore converted only 4 of their 13 third down opportunities and made just one of three fourth down attempts. For good measure, the Chargers got to Jackson twice with sacks.

For a defense ranked last in the NFL in total defense and pass defense, the unit for the Chargers seemed more than ready against the Ravens. The effort put forth by the defensive is what kept the Chargers in the game. It was good but it was not good enough for Staley.

“You’re not going to say that the defense played well when you lose. Not good enough for us tonight,” said Staley.

There is a lot to take away from the latest defeat the Chargers have had to absorb. Let’s look at the games the Chargers have lost this season. The 4-7 record the Chargers have posted is somewhat deceptive. In all seven of those defeats, the Chargers have been in every game.

Five of those seven defeats have been by three points or less. The loss to the Ravens and the Chargers’ Week 7 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs (31-17) were also close. There’s no doubt that each close game the Chargers have dropped hit a little harder, said Staley.

“Every time it stings more, because it means a lot to these guys,” Staley remarked. “I feel like our guys know the quality that we have. We just have to hang tough. It’s not the popular answer, but it’s the right answer. You have to hang tough. We have to keep working at our game in all three phases. If we do that, then you’re going to see good football from this team. Like I said, we’re going to have to put this one behind us after tomorrow and get on to New England.”

For Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, the close losses have taken a toll on the team. Herbert, who completed 29 of 44 passes for 217 yards with one touchdown and one interception, put the onus on the offense to do better. 

“It’s awfully tough,” Herbert said. “The defense played really well today. It’s up to us, as an offense, to go out there and execute and perform in those two-minute drills. We haven’t done that, and that’s on us. The thing is you can’t let the last one affect your next one. We’re going to get a shot at a really good opponent next week.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) passed for 217 yards and a touchdown in a losing effort to the Baltimore Ravens during a Sunday Night Football game on Nov. 26, 2023. Herbert and the Chargers fell to the Ravens, 20-10. Photo credit: Melinda Meijer (Courtesy of The Bulletin)

“If we get that moment, we have to go out there and execute. We’re not going to let this one affect our next one. We’re going to watch the film and we’re going to have to get better because of it. We haven’t been executing. It’s tough because the defense goes out and get some big stops like that and it’s up to us to go out there and do something about it.”

One thing the Chargers might want to improve is holding on to the football. The Chargers committed four turnovers (three fumbles) in the loss to Baltimore. Granted, Los Angeles was playing the No. 2 defense against the Ravens. However, those turnovers proved to be costly for the Chargers.

“That was certainly the difference in the game, and it usually is in the NFL,” said Staley. “When you turn the ball over three times and don’t get any, your chances of winning aren’t very good, especially when you’re playing a team like Baltimore, it’s going to be really tough. We hung in there about as well as you could, turning it over like that, one of them in the red area. Just didn’t play well enough, clean enough, to win tonight.”


Discover more from News4usonline

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Discover more from News4usonline

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading