Chargers are on other side of kicking blunder in win over Bears
By Travis Wakeman
The Los Angeles Chargers deserve a kicking error to work in their favor after years of having plenty of their own.
Holding onto a 17-16 lead in the late stages of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears, the Chargers just hoped they could hold on. After an 11-yard touchdown pass from Philip Rivers to Austin Ekeler in the fourth quarter, the Chargers took the 1-point lead but holding it would be another story.
The Bears started that final possession at their own 35-yard line with just 1:33 to play. The Chargers were forced to punt after Hunter Henry caught a pass on 3rd-and-12 but only gained 11 yards. Tense moments set in for Chargers fans.
Trubisky completed passes of 22 and nine yards to Taylor Gabriel and Allen Robinson, respectively, and then avoided a sack and turned it into an 11-yard gain which put the Bears in prime position for a field goal. But instead of trying to get a little closer, the team took a knee and let the clock run down to just a few seconds, content on Eddy Pineiro trying a 42-yard field goal for the win.
He came out and missed it to the left. He didn’t miss by much, but neither did Cody Parkey in last year’s playoffs and it didn’t matter. The Bears lost the game.
The Chargers will make no apologies. This is a team that hasn’t found a consistent kicker in years, having to rely on several different players to put the ball through the uprights. Michael Badgley was consistent, but because he has missed the entire first half of this season, he almost doesn’t count anymore.
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With the win, the Chargers improve to 3-5 on the season. Their playoff hopes are still bleak, but they’re not completely gone.
The Chargers had just 231 yards of offense and averaged three yards per carry in the game. They were also penalized eight times for 53 yards. In addition, the Bears had 38 minutes of possession and still found a way to lose.
The difference in the game was the front seven of the Chargers, particularly Joey Bosa, who had two sacks and some key pressures in the game. Casey Hayward also had an interception, which he returned 37 yards.
The Chargers will return to Los Angeles to face the Green Bay Packers next Sunday.