The Los Angeles Chargers made their L.A. debut Sunday night against the Seattle Seahawks. My thoughts on the preseason opener:
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Chargers score early on and the defense holds strong, but turnovers later in the game prove costly and they lose the game. Also, a quality starter goes down with injury.
Am I back in 2016?
So, it’s just the preseason, and yes, the starters only played a handful of snaps. But there’s still a lot to take away from this game
1. First team offense puts on a show
The Seahawks must have regular nightmares about Philip Rivers to Antonio Gates. After they torched the Legion of Boom to the tune of three touchdowns back in 2014, the reliable duo hooked up for a short score to cap off a long, sustained drive.
Rivers got the ball to everyone, spreading the offense out in a way that has to have Chargers fans excited for the upcoming season. They cut through the opposing defense with ease, even though Keenan Allen didn’t touch the ball once. The blocking was great, and Rivers wasn’t scrambling for his life against what is usually a dominant front seven.
It’s only one game, one that doesn’t even count, but it bodes well for the upcoming campaign.
2. A starting Chargers player gets injured…again.
Joey Bosa looked to have an elbow issue early on, but not much has been made about that (yet?). Last night, however, did not end well for linebacker Denzel Perryman, who is expected to be out four to six weeks, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Chargers LB Denzel Perryman expected to miss 4-6 weeks with ankle injury he suffered Sunday, per source, but MRI today for more clarity.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 14, 2017
At best, it appears that he could be back in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles. It would be nice to have him back to face the run-heavy Kansas City Chiefs the week prior, but I’d rather him get fully healthy for the long haul.
3. Kellen Clemens
I don’t like saying someone should lose their job. Kellen Clemens needs to lose his job.
Watching last night’s atrocity of a performance (aside from a bomb to Travis Benjamin), cemented the disdain in all Chargers fans’ hearts for the backup quarterback. He seems to be a good guy, and he might be a help to Rivers, but the guy cannot perform. Someone else can come in and do this job better (I think most of you readers can do better), and Anthony Lynn hopefully has a plan in place to fix the situation.
4. If not Clemens, then who?
Cardale Jones went 2-9 for 50 yards and Mike Bercovici went 4-6 for 68 yards. Together, they managed three points. Not the greatest showing, and with Clemens struggling ahead of them, it’s possible that the Chargers start looking elsewhere for the backup quarterback position.
5. We need Jason Verrett back, badly.
Watching corners not named Casey Hayward get torched over and over again was aggravating. Not only does it kill the team, it turns off the fans, many of which left the stadium three quarters into the game. Jason Verrett needs to get back in there by the regular season.
6. Desmond King gets an INT.
Hey! Good news! Desmond King, the fifth-round pick out of Iowa, looked to be playing well last night, and capped it off with a beautiful leaping interception. Plays like that stand out, especially when you’re a rookie, and I bet that one helps him get more meaningful, starter snaps going forward.
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7. Football is back on, baby!
The sun is shining, and football is BACK. We as fans have been waiting for this for months, and boy does it feel good to watch some Charger football (just watch the first quarter of last night’s game, you’ll be happier).
Those are my thoughts on Sunday night’s game, aside from a few omitted, salty expletives about some players. It’s fun to be back in football season, and I hope you follow along with us here at Bolt Beat throughout the year. Aside from anything I’ve said, what are your thoughts on last night’s game? What did you think of the Chargers’ new home, if you attended? Sound off below!