Justin Herbert throws 4 TD passes, but Chargers fall to Lions
The Chargers rallied to tie the score four times but Riley Patterson kicked a 41-yard field goal to win for the Lions as time expired
By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | eteaford@scng.com | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: November 12, 2023 at 4:11 p.m. | UPDATED: November 12, 2023 at 8:33 p.m.
INGLEWOOD — The Chargers only got it half right in their 41-38 loss Sunday to the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium. They scored 38 points, but they gave up 41. They gained 421 yards, but gave up 533. They scored the tying touchdown with 3:34 left, but gave up the winning field goal as time expired.
“It was nothing they did, it’s what we didn’t do,” Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack said. “It’s what we didn’t do, yeah. That’s on me. I’ll take that being one of the guys, especially on the outside. We’ve been consistently playing the run and we gave up 200 yards rushing.
“You’re not going to have a fun day.”
As he did after the Chargers’ 31-17 loss Oct. 22 to the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, Coach Brandon Staley blamed himself for failing to have the defense as prepared as it needed to be against a team with a quality record and an offense capable of scoring at will.
“I didn’t do a good enough job for us today,” Staley said.
Quarterback Justin Herbert rallied the Chargers again and again, leading them to touchdowns on each of their final five possessions, but their loss to the Lions ended their modest two-game winning streak and left them needing six victories in their final eight games to match last season’s 10-7 record.
Herbert completed 27 of 40 passes for 323 yards and a season-high four touchdowns with one interception. The Chargers (4-5) rallied to tie the score at 3-3, 24-24, 31-31 and 38-38, but they never led the Lions (7-2) and seemed to be running on a treadmill from beginning to end.
Herbert’s fourth touchdown pass, a 38-yard catch and run by wide receiver Keenan Allen, brought the Chargers even with 3:34 remaining in the game. But it was plenty of time for quarterback Jared Goff to drive the Lions for the game-winning field goal. Riley Patterson split the uprights from 41 yards.
“Losing is never fun, but I thought we battled today,” Herbert said. “We can look at this film and say, ‘We can build off this.’ But there were a lot of things in the first quarter that we didn’t do a good job of, and I didn’t do a good job of. If we’re not fighting back, maybe the score goes differently.
“At least we turned it around. At least we did our best in the second half.”
In the final analysis, the Chargers’ defense made the difference for the third consecutive game. In the first two, victories Oct. 29 over the Chicago Bears and Nov. 6 over the New York Jets, their defense suffocated the opposition and gave up a total of 19 points, including six against New York.
Detroit scored 24 points by halftime Sunday, leading by 24-27. The Lions punished the Chargers on the ground, gaining 177 yards on 19 carries, an average of 9.3 yards per attempt. David Montgomery’s 75-yard touchdown run in the second quarter accounted for a big chunk of the yardage.
Near the end, though, it was the passing game that killed the Chargers’ chances to win. Goff started the Lions’ winning drive with a screen pass to Kalif Raymond for a 41-yard gain that gave Detroit a first down at the Chargers’ 34-yard line. When the drive stalled, the Lions went for it on fourth-and-2 at the 26.
Instead of kicking a field goal, the Lions went for it and got it, with Goff connecting for a six-yard gain on a pass to Sam LaPorta. With the Chargers out of timeouts, the Lions ran down the clock with a series of kneel-downs before Patterson kicked the game-winner as time expired.
Goff, a former Rams quarterback, completed 23 of 33 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown, a former USC standout, caught eight passes from Goff for 156 yards and one touchdown. Montgomery rushed for 116 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries, an average of 9.7 yards per attempt.
The Chargers didn’t force a turnover.
“I don’t want to blame it on nothing, but we didn’t come to play today,” Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. said. “We didn’t get it done today. (The offense was) ballin’. I feel bad for letting them down today, especially as one of the captains on defense. We’re going to control what we can control and get back to work.”
The search for a complete game continues next week against the Packers in Green Bay.
The Chargers rallied to tie the score four times but Riley Patterson kicked a 41-yard field goal to win for the Lions as time expired
By ELLIOTT TEAFORD | eteaford@scng.com | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: November 12, 2023 at 4:11 p.m. | UPDATED: November 12, 2023 at 8:33 p.m.
INGLEWOOD — The Chargers only got it half right in their 41-38 loss Sunday to the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium. They scored 38 points, but they gave up 41. They gained 421 yards, but gave up 533. They scored the tying touchdown with 3:34 left, but gave up the winning field goal as time expired.
“It was nothing they did, it’s what we didn’t do,” Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack said. “It’s what we didn’t do, yeah. That’s on me. I’ll take that being one of the guys, especially on the outside. We’ve been consistently playing the run and we gave up 200 yards rushing.
“You’re not going to have a fun day.”
As he did after the Chargers’ 31-17 loss Oct. 22 to the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, Coach Brandon Staley blamed himself for failing to have the defense as prepared as it needed to be against a team with a quality record and an offense capable of scoring at will.
“I didn’t do a good enough job for us today,” Staley said.
Quarterback Justin Herbert rallied the Chargers again and again, leading them to touchdowns on each of their final five possessions, but their loss to the Lions ended their modest two-game winning streak and left them needing six victories in their final eight games to match last season’s 10-7 record.
Herbert completed 27 of 40 passes for 323 yards and a season-high four touchdowns with one interception. The Chargers (4-5) rallied to tie the score at 3-3, 24-24, 31-31 and 38-38, but they never led the Lions (7-2) and seemed to be running on a treadmill from beginning to end.
Herbert’s fourth touchdown pass, a 38-yard catch and run by wide receiver Keenan Allen, brought the Chargers even with 3:34 remaining in the game. But it was plenty of time for quarterback Jared Goff to drive the Lions for the game-winning field goal. Riley Patterson split the uprights from 41 yards.
“Losing is never fun, but I thought we battled today,” Herbert said. “We can look at this film and say, ‘We can build off this.’ But there were a lot of things in the first quarter that we didn’t do a good job of, and I didn’t do a good job of. If we’re not fighting back, maybe the score goes differently.
“At least we turned it around. At least we did our best in the second half.”
In the final analysis, the Chargers’ defense made the difference for the third consecutive game. In the first two, victories Oct. 29 over the Chicago Bears and Nov. 6 over the New York Jets, their defense suffocated the opposition and gave up a total of 19 points, including six against New York.
Detroit scored 24 points by halftime Sunday, leading by 24-27. The Lions punished the Chargers on the ground, gaining 177 yards on 19 carries, an average of 9.3 yards per attempt. David Montgomery’s 75-yard touchdown run in the second quarter accounted for a big chunk of the yardage.
Near the end, though, it was the passing game that killed the Chargers’ chances to win. Goff started the Lions’ winning drive with a screen pass to Kalif Raymond for a 41-yard gain that gave Detroit a first down at the Chargers’ 34-yard line. When the drive stalled, the Lions went for it on fourth-and-2 at the 26.
Instead of kicking a field goal, the Lions went for it and got it, with Goff connecting for a six-yard gain on a pass to Sam LaPorta. With the Chargers out of timeouts, the Lions ran down the clock with a series of kneel-downs before Patterson kicked the game-winner as time expired.
Goff, a former Rams quarterback, completed 23 of 33 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown, a former USC standout, caught eight passes from Goff for 156 yards and one touchdown. Montgomery rushed for 116 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries, an average of 9.7 yards per attempt.
The Chargers didn’t force a turnover.
“I don’t want to blame it on nothing, but we didn’t come to play today,” Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. said. “We didn’t get it done today. (The offense was) ballin’. I feel bad for letting them down today, especially as one of the captains on defense. We’re going to control what we can control and get back to work.”
The search for a complete game continues next week against the Packers in Green Bay.
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