The Los Angeles Chargers were embarrassed by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the NFL Playoffs.
Defense Generates Turnovers Quickly
The game started off in a big way for the Charger's defense. Trevor Lawrence would throw four interceptions in the first quarter alone.
First, Lawrence would throw a pass over the middle that was tipped by Sebastian Joseph-Day to Joey Bosa who tipped the ball into the arms of Drue Tranquill. Two plays later, Austin Ekeler scored on a 13-yard run to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead.
On the next drive, Lawrence had the Jaguars moving into scoring position before throwing a pass to tight end Evan Engram. Asante Samuel Jr. was in position to intercept the pass and returned it for 16 yards to midfield. The Chargers managed to extend the lead to 10-0 when Cameron Dicker hit a 22-yard field goal.
After trading punts, Lawrence turned the ball over again deep in his own territory when Samuel stepped in front of another pass intended for Evan Ingram. Three plays later, Ekeler punched the ball in to put the Chargers up 17-0.
After a quick Jaguars three-and-out, the Chargers scored again with a nine-yard pass to Gerald Everett. The Chargers went up 24-0 with seven minutes left on the clock.
For the fourth time, Lawrence looked for Engram, this time on a deep throw over the middle. Samuel came down with his third interception of the game, the most by any player in their playoff debut. Lawrence had thrown just eight interceptions all season, and throwing four by halftime gave the Chargers all the momentum they needed to win the game.
The Chargers were forced to punt, but Chris Claybrooks muffed the ball and gave the Chargers the ball just outside the red zone. The Chargers stalled and settled for a 23-yard field goal but they were now 27-0.
Just before halftime, the Jaguars finally managed to score with a nine-yard pass to Evan Engram.
Second Half Meltdown
The second half was a totally different story than the first. The Chargers could not sustain drives and continually put up points and let the Jaguars crawl back into the game. After scoring 27 points in the first half, they just managed two field goal attempts while missing a crucial 40-yarder with 8:47 remaining in the game.
The Jaguars did not punt once in the second half and scored on every remaining possession. For a team that had an enormous lead, the Chargers ran just seven times in the second half and managed just seven total yards. This is not how you control the clock, and the inability to establish the run meant that the Chargers could not milk the clock. This combined with the key second-half penalties was critical to the overall outcome.
The Chargers lost in the closing seconds with a field goal. It was a heartbreaking loss considering the huge lead they jumped out to. It resembled a Falcons-esque kind of second half and now Head Coach Brandon Staley is certainly on the hot seat.
The Season is Over. What Next?
Could changes be coming to the Chargers coaching staff? Brandon Staley is going to take quite a bit of criticism for the issues the Chargers had over the last two seasons. Tom Telesco is on his third head coach since he became General Manager in 2013. Is Sean Payton going to be the Charger's target for Dean Spanos and the Charger's ownership? Only time will tell.
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