The Chargers should be winning games based on the numbers, but they just can’t seem to get out of their own way.
The Chargers lost the Dolphins in a thriller that ended up just being another gut-punch in a long history of losing via emotional haymakers to the abdomen.
There’s just something about this team that doesn’t want to lose quietly. Plenty of teams lose on a week-to-week basis and those seem to come and go like the tide. But when the Chargers lose, there’s always something extra attached to it.
This week was no different. The Chargers dropped a 36-34 decision to the Dolphins inside SoFi Stadium and it came with several extra dashes of shame. However it wasn’t all spicy, as you’ll see below.
Here three eye-popping stats — two negative and one positive — from Sunday’s loss.
1.) The Chargers allowed 466 passing yards on Sunday, the most ever allowed in a single game in franchise history
The performance by the Chargers’ defense on Sunday was the exact opposite of their performance against the Dolphins in 2022. After putting the clamps on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa late last season, they opened with an absolute dud in Week One.
Tua and wideout Tyreek Hill took just about anything they wanted against a fully-healthy Chargers defense. They hooked up 11 times for 215 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The Dolphins’ game plan kept Tua clean all day to the point one could have realistically forgot the Chargers deployed both Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa at the same time.
By the end of the game, Tua’s 466 passing yards became the most passing yards ever allowed by the Chargers in a single game in franchise history, per The AP’s Joe Reedy. When a franchise has been around for over 60 years, any time you allow a new high mark like this will be a massive cause for concern for a coach, especially in their third year.
2.) The Chargers became the first team since 2010 to rush for over 220 yards and three touchdowns in the opening game of the season
Just like that, Kellen Moore turned the running game around in Los Angeles with a huge performance in his first regular season game as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator. While many believed by season’s end that the Chargers would have better numbers overall compared to last season’s 89.6 average, no one would have thought the return on investment would hit this hard in Week One.
In fact, the Chargers became the first team since the 2010 season to rush for more than 220 yards in their season opener. It doesn’t get much better than that. Next week will be a tough matchup with the Titans who only surrendered 69 yards on the ground to the Saints, but overall I believe fans can hang their hat on this performance as a means for boosted confidence going forward.
3.) The Chargers became the first team in NFL history to lose a game after rushing for 220 yards, allowing less than 100 rushing yards, recording zero turnovers, and winning the turnover battle by at least two
I apologize for saving the worst for last, but here we go.
The Chargers became the first team in NFL history to lose a game when:
- They rushed for over 220 yards
- Allowed less than 100 yards rushing
- Recorded zero turnovers
- Won the turnover battle by two or more.
Until Sunday afternoon, teams that could check all four of those boxes were 110-0. Yes, you read that right. The previous 110 teams to do so won their respective game. But this franchise, the one known for finding new and inventive ways to lose a game with each season that comes, did just that.
You just wish that the losses would come a bit more quietly, but that’s not in this team’s blood. Go big or go home, baby.