Team Grades: Chargers Sacked In Third Straight Loss
By Dave Thomas
What exactly does a broken record sound like?
For the San Diego Chargers, the sound is not good. In fact, it is getting downright scary after their last three performances.
Ryan Tannehill and the Miami Dolphins did just about anything and everything they wanted to Sunday afternoon in South Florida, dismantling the struggling Chargers 37-0. After a five-game winning streak, the Bolts have now dropped three straight as they limp into their bye week.
While the five-game win streak included victories over horrific teams such as the Jaguars, Jets and Raiders (San Diego also beat Seattle and Buffalo), the Chargers were playing good ball despite injuries in the backfield. Those injuries just continue to show how bad a running game this team currently sports.
Miami Swims Past San Diego
In a game that may have looked more like Custer's Last Stand at Little Bighorn, the Chargers were out-manned and outplayed by a team that is now in the AFC East hunt along with Buffalo and first-place New England.
Meantime, San Diego now sits in third-place in the AFC West, as the surging Kansas City Chiefs won yet again on Sunday. The Chiefs already own a 23-20 victory over their division rivals, hosting San Diego in what may or may not be a critical game in the season's final Sunday (Dec. 28).
Falling behind early and unable to mount any form of offense on Sunday, the Chargers stumbled to a mere 14 yards rushing in the first 30 minutes of play.
Down 20-0 at intermission, things only got worse for the Bolts in the second half, as the Dolphins clearly outplayed a squad that some viewed as a strong AFC playoff contender just a few weeks back.
When you look at the offensive numbers on this early November day in South Florida they were as horrific as the final score indicates.
Miami finished with 27 first downs to only 10 for the Chargers. The Dolphins racked up 441 yards of total offense to a mere 178 for the Bolts, while the defense held San Diego to just 50 yards net rushing on the day.
With the bye week ahead, the Chargers have plenty of work to do before hosting rival Oakland on Nov. 16.
TEAM GRADES:
Offense - (D) - An 'F' would probably be more appropriate, but let's give San Diego the benefit of the doubt right now. Face it, there is no rushing attack, Philip Rivers (12-of-23, 138 yards) is in a bit of a rut, and the receivers and offensive line aren't exactly assisting the veteran QB when the Bolts have the ball. Rivers, who tossed three INT's on the day, was also sacked three times. With Ryan Mathews possibly coming back for the Oakland game on Nov. 16, just maybe San Diego can mount some type of rushing attack, though that is a very big question mark at this time.
Defense - (D) - San Diego made Ryan Tannehill look like the second coming of Dan Marino or Bob Griese. The Texas A&M product finished with nearly 300 yards of passing and three TD's on the day. While Tannehill is not even close to the talent level of the two Miami legends, he pretty much had the San Diego 'D' at his mercy on this day. On a bright note, San Diego held Miami to 132 yards on the ground, but it didn't much matter on this afternoon. After giving up 35 points in a loss at Denver on Oct. 23, the Bolts have now been burned for 72 points in a mere two games. With Oakland and St. Louis the next two games, the 'D' needs to get back the way it was playing in Week Two against Seattle and the following four weeks if the Bolts are to regain any playoff momentum whatsoever.
For more Chargers news and updates, visit Chargers Central.
Dave Thomas has been covering the sports world since his first job as a sports editor for a weekly newspaper in Pennsylvania back in 1989. He has covered a Super Bowl, college bowl games, MLB, NBA and more. His work can be found on Examiner.com.