Chargers fight back in San Francisco
Around the holidays, your blood may boil; maybe it’s a heated political debate with an out of town relative, or the stress of getting the right gift for a significant other, or setting the turkey on fire. But there’s nothing quite like a 7-28 halftime deficit to really knock a fan out of the holiday spirit. Fans were bummed, the team was behind, and the score indicated that the Chargers were going to miss the playoffs this season (they would anyway). Everyone was down in the doldrums that evening, after that disastrous first half.
Everyone except Philip Rivers, who after two first half interceptions (one leading to a 49ers touchdown) didn’t seem to give a gosh darn what the score said. The defense held for two drives in the second half, and Rivers finally got his chance to bring the team back.
Novak's 40-yard field goal lifts Chargers past 49ers.http://t.co/yYcm1gTHsi pic.twitter.com/te9nYedDna
— DBNJ Sports (@DBNJSports) December 21, 2014
This was a game of clutch performances, from a Malcom Floyd touchdown to tie the game to Eric Weddle knocking the ball out to give the Chargers a chance to kick the game-winner in overtime. No player outside of Rivers, however, was more of a standout than Eddie Royal, who finished the night with 10 receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown, catching one of the tightest fourth-down conversion passes in recent memory.
Chargers break the streak in Kansas City
The Chargers entered this game without Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler, but did carry one of the best receiver trios in the NFL. At least, they did for about 20 minutes, until Keenan Allen suffered a hip injury that forced him to miss the rest of the game. Could a former undrafted free agent, a speedy one-dimensional receiver, and a former rookie season disappointment carry the team to a victory? Of course!
Mike Williams went on to have the best game of his career, scoring three touchdowns and a two-point conversion to give the Chargers a victory that broke their impossibly long losing streak to the Chiefs.
https://twitter.com/nflnetwork/status/1096869396897767426
The unlikely hero of the game: Travis Benjamin, who made two clutch throws on the team’s final offensive drive to put the Chargers in a position to tie or win the game. Go figure…