The San Diego Chargers lost to the Miami Dolphins with a final score of 31-24. This is a game they should have won because they were in control of it, seemingly, all game. The loss puts the Chargers at 4-6 as they head into a much needed bye week. They are a team that is riddled with injuries as well as season’s fatigue. They played with fire all afternoon as they had four turnovers and multiple missed opportunities to score while in scoring range. Following the loss, Philip Rivers said, “We’ll heal up a bit, get a few guys back, and fight like crazy down the stretch.” The loss came on the heels after an attempt to get a new stadium, Measure C, failed on Tuesday.
The Chargers needed well over 66 percent of votes in favor of a new stadium to start the construction in Downtown San Diego. San Diegans went out and voted, but the Chargers only received 40 percent approval from the locals. The game on Sunday had a lot of empty seats as maybe a sign of the locals having little to no faith in their team staying locally. In fact there were only 55,107 in attendance at a stadium that holds well over 71,000. Nevertheless, owner Dean A. Spanos has a decision to make on whether to leave San Diego or exercise the team’s option to move to Los Angeles with the Rams. Many seem to believe he will accept this contingency, but Spanos remains noncommittal.
Statement from Dean Spanos,
Owner – Chairman of the Board, San Diego #Chargers pic.twitter.com/U8UNDQNtB1— San Diego Chargers (@Chargers) November 9, 2016
Back to the game, Rivers and company left points on the field on four separate occasions. Rivers either took bad sacks, poor execution, or poor play-calling. Melvin Gordon said, “Me, as a running back and us as a line, as a group, we have to find a way to punch that ball in.” Just about any team in the NFL will lose the game if they fail to score on that many opportunities. Give him credit because he is making things happen with guys like Dontrelle Inman, Tyrell Williams, and an aging Antonio Gates, but a quarterback of Rivers pedigree has got to put up points.
Rivers lack of execution was magnified in the fourth quarter. He had four interceptions on mind-boggling throws. There might have been confusion between he and his receivers. His pre-snap adjustments were not nearly as effective as they have been in other games and it forced him to burn timeouts. Former Charger Donald Butler was at linebacker for the Fins and it is quite possible he knew what was coming in key situations. The Chargers had the game won in that same series where Rivers burned the last timeout. All they had to do was run the football.
Defensively, the Chargers had a handful of mistakes that changed the complexion of this one. They got too greedy in their pursuit of Jay Ajayi as he broke for a long run that set up the Dolphins touchdown after halftime. Melvin Ingram failed to wrap up Ryan Tannehill on a key third down where the quarterback broke loose to throw it down the field. Tannehill galloped for a long run on another play. DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills had long passes that helped set their team up or scored a touchdown. Those missed plays are a recipe for one steaming hot loss.
The Chargers head into the bye week with one of the league’s best offenses and run defenses yet they only have four wins. Turning the ball over, failing to score once crossing the 50-yard line, and giving up big plays have all played a role in the team’s tumultuous season. This team is young and inexperienced, but there are certainly things to hang their hat on. San Diego’s playoff odds are probably slim-to-none, but a soft schedule could help them get on a roll.
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