Instant Reaction From The Coach And The Don: Chargers Fall To Titans

Before we jump on the airwaves and fully break down and analyze the game, The Coach and The Don give their instant analysis and reaction to the Chargers loss to the Tennessee Titans.

The Don

What the hell just happened? Did I really just witness that?

We were seconds away from being blessed with another Philip Rivers comeback and pushing LA Football to 4-0 on the weekend, and then THAT happened. That being a turn of events that saw the Chargers go from scoring a touchdown, to having it called back, to fumbling and losing the game.

You couldn’t write a script that anyone would take seriously if you had a game end that way. But this is Chargers football, and sadly, this seems to be the norm.

At 2-5 the team has plenty of issues, and it’s hard to even know where to begin. Gus Bradley is coaching the defense like he still has his talented secondary intact. He doesn’t.

The offense continues to start slower than the tortoise racing the hare. And Melvin Gordon, at this point in the season, is nowhere near a premier running back. Anthony Lynn needs to do some soul searching and make some sort of changes in order to get better production and discipline out of his players.

Hunter Henry and Austin Ekeler seem to be the lone bright spots on the offense. Henry finished the game with six receptions, good enough for 97 yards. Per the constant of Rivers’ career (a reliable tight end that is), Henry was the go-to target down the stretch and in crunch time. Ekeler only rushed the ball five times (a gameplan issue that Coach Lynn may consider reverting back) but caught seven balls for 118 yards and a touchdown. It was good to see these guys get going, but with Gordon struggling in the run game, I would like to see Ekeler more involved carrying the rock.

With nine games left to play, hopefully the Chargers are the tortoise in this analogy and finish the season in winning fashion.

The Coach

I have always been a huge Melvin Gordon fan but boy, was that holdout really worth it? After weeks of holding out for a contract that he didn’t ever receive, he has now more than likely reached rock bottom of his Charger tenure. The Chargers came back, yet again, and had a goal-to-go situation down only three points with under a minute left in regulation. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I wouldn’t have believed what happened next.

The star running back for the Chargers was stopped once on the goal-line, and then on the very next play, he fumbled before breaking the plane. The ball was retrieved by Titans defensive lineman Jurrell Casey in the end zone. After the game, Gordon was shown on camera visibly upset on the bench.

The Chargers are such a mess. This was possibly the worst thing that could have happened to them. But honestly, there is only one way to go now. A very humbling feeling for the entire team. Next week they face a Chicago Bears team coming off a manhandling by the Saints (do not let the final score fool you). Honestly, I can see this being a big turnaround for the Bolts.

One main thing we learned is Austin Ekeler must be in the game plan for the team to find success. In lieu of leaning on Rivers and the passing game, I want to see the Anthony Lynn go to a two headed attack with Gordon and Ekeler, and allow Rivers to find Keenan Allen once the ground game gets established. Something drastic has to change for this team to find any sliver of hope to make the postseason. Let’s utilize one of the most dangerous weapons in the league, Austin Ekeler.