It was a close game at halftime, but the Chargers got pounded in the second half. There weren’t many positives to take away from this game, particularly from the drubbing in those final 30 minutes.
There were still a few bright spots from the performance as well as the expected duds from such a blowout loss.
Stud: Poona Ford
In a game with very few positives, Ford was quite solid against the Buccaneers’ physical offensive line. Ford has been quite consistent this year on the interior portion of the defensive line. In fact, he was the Chargers’ highest-graded player (79.0) in Week 15 according to Pro Football Focus. Ford has been the sixth-best defensive lineman in all of football in 2024, which includes his ability to stuff the run in the middle of the defense.
Dud: Kristian Fulton
The fifth-year cornerback has shined at times this season, but he struggled mightily on Sunday. Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield targeted Fulton six times and was able to complete each of those for 88 yards and a touchdown to Mike Evans. Evans got the best of Fulton on multiple occasions, and the Chargers secondary as a whole was quite poor in Week 15.
Stud: Quentin Johnston
The Chargers finished the game with just 174 passing yards, but Johnston put in another superb performance. For the second consecutive week, the former TCU product finished with five catches and a touchdown. While his hands remain an issue, he’s at least made a decent amount of plays in his sophomore season. He’s shown a ton of improvement in 2024, and that continued to show in Sunday’s loss.
Dud: Gus Edwards
The Chargers severely miss starting running back J.K. Dobbins. Without him, the team’s ground attack is virtually nonexistent, and that was on full display again on Sunday. Edwards was ineffective once again with just 23 rushing yards on eight carries, a measly 2.9 yards per touch. Rookie Kimani Vidal saw more work than Edwards as the game went on due to his versatility in the passing game. Not only has Edwards been a non-factor on the ground this season, but he only has two total catches as well.
Dud: Run Defense
The Chargers run defense has been middle-of-the-pack in 2024, but they were downright awful on Sunday. Tampa Bay racked up 223 yards on the ground, as each of their top two running backs were effective. There were a few big plays as well, which included a 54-yard scamper from Bucky Irving and a 21-yard scramble from Mayfield. Scrap the tape from this one.