Chargers Go from Favorites to Down Double-Digits
Heading into their game against the San Francisco 49ers, the Chargers were 10-point favorites. Everyone thought they would win easily against a team who just lost their franchise QB to injury. Well everything doesn’t always go as planned. On the first drive of the game Philip Rivers threw a pick-6 to Antone Exum Jr. The Chargers had their first shot at putting points on the board with a 54-yard field goal from Caleb Sturgis. Wide Right. The 49ers then took the ball 56-yds down the field on 6 plays for a touchdown. Now down 14-0, it didn’t look good for the Chargers. However, they rallied back on the next drive and Philip Rivers found his longtime favorite weapon Antonio Gates for a 5-yd TD pass. PAT attempt Wide Right. This time Sturgis misses an extra point, his second miss of the season. After a 49ers Field Goal, Rivers threw a 22-yd strike to Austin Ekeler. To make up for the missed extra point, the Chargers went for two. Rivers hit Melvin Gordon to make the score 17-14. With time running out in the second quarter, the 49ers punted to Chargers cornerback Desmond King who went 56-rds to the 49ers 33-yd line. Sturgis was finally able to get the ball through the uprights from 48-yds out.
The Chargers started the second half strong with a TD pass to Gordon on their first drive to go up 23-17. ANOTHER MISS! Sturgis missed his second extra point of the game. Helped by a pair of roughing-the-passer penalties, a penalty under scrutiny by players, the 49ers were poised to score at the Chargers 8-yd line. INTERCEPTION! Cornerback Trevor Williams took the interception to the 49ers 12-yd line. The 49ers held the Chargers to a field goal that put them up 26-17. Late in the third quarter C.J. Beathard, Jimmy Garoppolo’s replacement, hit tight end George Kittle for an 82-yd TD to go down 2. Both teams exchanged field goals in the fourth quarter with the Chargers eventually winning 29-27.
Despite throwing a pick-6, missing a field goal and 2 extra point, the Chargers survived. Philip Rivers threw for 250 and 3 TD passes, continuing his hot start to the year. Melvin Gordon also carried his workload adding 104 rushing yards and 55 receiving. Coach Anthony Lynn will almost definitely have a talk with Caleb Sturgis about moving forward. Hopefully Sturgis can figure everything out and be ready for next week against the Raiders.
Thank you for reading! Get ready for week 5 against the Oakland Raiders and remember to check for my blog on October 9th.
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