LA Chargers: The good, bad and ugly in loss to Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The bad:

Justin Herbert’s lone turnover:

You can win with a one-interception game and if Justin Herbert would have thrown a pick at midfield in the first half that did not result in any points then we would not even be focusing on the fact that he threw an interception.

However, his interception came when the team was attempting to make a game-tying drive at the end of regulation. The Chargers dialed up the deep ball on second down and Herbert made a really bad throw into coverage that was picked off.

No excuses for Herbert here. It was a bad throw and an equally bad decision. However, to be frank, he was the only reason why the Chargers were even in the game at that point, to begin with.

Michael Badgley’s missed field goal:

Michael Badley nailed a 53-yard field goal that was huge for the team but then missed a 47-yard field goal that was more impactful than the make. The Chargers really needed three points in the third quarter there to shift the momentum and could not get it.

Instead, Tom Brady and the offense got a shorter field to work with and made quick work of the defense. Instead of being up 27-21, the Chargers instead went down 28-24.

Austin Ekeler’s injury:

It does not feel right to include Austin Ekeler’s injury in the “ugly” part of this article as that is usually reserved for criticizing the team and/or coaching staff and there obviously is nothing to criticize when someone gets hurt.

It just sucks. Ekeler is the motor of this offense and his hamstring injury looked like it was a bit serious. Our thoughts are out to Ekeler in making a speedy recovery on what is (hopefully) a minor injury.