Yet again, it was another close matchup, but the Chargers failed to come out on top. The loss to the Lions dropped Los Angeles to 1-1.
Here is our instant analysis from the game:
Injury Report
Adrian Phillips left the game in the fourth quarter with a forearm injury and didn’t return.
Defensive ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram also got hurt on the Lions’ touchdown drive.
We will update once we have further detail.
Play of the Game: Casey Hayward’s Interception
Even though this was called for offensive pass interference, Hayward came up with the ball as he was going down to give the Chargers the ball.
Key Stat
8: Philip Rivers became the 8th player in NFL history to reach 55,500 career passing yards.
Quick Takes
It was quite the battle between Keenan Allen and Darius Slay. Allen had eight receptions for 98 yards, but Slay came up when it mattered the most, picking off Philip Rivers in the end zone late in the fourth quarter.
The defense did a nice job making second half adjustments, limiting the Lions running game and picking half Matthew Stafford twice.
Ty Long missed two field goals. It’s hard to point fingers at Long when he was asked to do a lot in two games — punts, placekicks and kickoffs.
Austin Ekeler had a nice game once again, but his fumble at the goal line was a costly mistake.
Offensively, they moved the ball more efficiently in the second half, but costly penalties killed them. They committed a total of nine for 70 yards.
The pass rush was nonexistent, hence the zero sacks acquired today. The Lions did a nice job against Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram to allow Matthew Stafford plenty of time to throw.
Even though they improved later in the game, pass protection and run defense are still concerning.
Next Up
The Chargers will return to Dignity Health Sports Park to host the Texans in Week 3 on Sept. 22 at 1:25 p.m. PT.
