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Sam Farmer breaks down what went wrong for the Chargers in their 27-10 loss to the Washington Commanders at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The latest setback came Sunday with a 27-10 loss<\/a> to the Washington Commanders, a game that had all the hallmarks of this whipsaw Chargers season.<\/p>\n They scored the first 10 points, then surrendered an unanswered 27.<\/p>\n \u201cWe prepare all week, the coaches emphasize focus and discipline every single day,\u201d safety Derwin James<\/a> said. \u201cTo come out and not execute, not play disciplined, that\u2019s disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n The most coordination the Chargers showed all day was their hasty exit from SoFi Stadium, an SUV whisking away owner Dean Spanos<\/a>, followed by a pair of golf carts whizzing past the locker room. One carried standout left tackle Joe Alt<\/a>, reduced to a spectator with his high ankle sprain. Riding on the back of the second cart was rookie running back Omarion Hampton<\/a>, a first-round pick, wearing a protective boot on his left foot. His coach declined to elaborate on that apparent injury.<\/p>\n The franchise that opened the season by running the table against its three AFC West opponents has dropped two in a row to the NFC East, the first of those losses to the previously winless New York Giants.<\/p>\n The Chargers were penalized a combined 24 times in those two losses compared with a total of 15 flags in their first three wins.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout breaking down every one, it comes down to focus,\u201d coach Jim Harbaugh<\/a> said. \u201cKnowing what to do and when to do it. … They\u2019re all correctable.\u201d<\/p>\n Washington wide receiver Deebo Samuel scores on an eight-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels in the fourth quarter of the Commanders\u2019 27-10 win Sunday.<\/p>\n (Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n There are only so many hours in a week, however, and the Chargers need to fix this airplane while they\u2019re flying it. They travel to Miami to play the Dolphins on Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about concentration, focus, alignment, assignment and technique,\u201d the coach said. \u201cAll the things good teams do. Those things are in our DNA and our character.\u201d<\/p>\n But who are the Chargers? Are they the team resilient enough to fly all the way to Brazil and knock off the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>, then beat the Raiders in Las Vegas<\/a> and finish off Denver<\/a> in Los Angeles? Or are they the Not Ready For Prime Time Players who face-planted two weeks in a row?<\/p>\n They don\u2019t have time to recline on the therapy couch.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything\u2019s contagious, momentum good or bad,\u201d James said. \u201cYou get one flag and suddenly it feels like it spreads. Every phase had a flag today.\u201d<\/p>\n The Chargers might have been their own worst enemy Sunday, but Washington rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt was a close second. He tore off some runs as long as his last name, finishing with a combined 150 yards and scoring on carries of 15 and five yards.<\/p>\n Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh walks on the sideline during a 27-10 loss to the Washington Commanders at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.<\/p>\n (Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n He slipped through the draft the way he eludes defenders, hanging around until the seventh round until the Commanders took him with the 245th overall pick. He zig-zagged across the country in college, playing for Alabama State, New Mexico and Arizona, playing just one game for the Wildcats in his final season because of eligibility issues. That accounted for him tumbling in the draft.<\/p>\n Regardless, he was all the Chargers could handle Sunday and the answer for a Commanders offense that was missing star receiver Terry McLaurin.<\/p>\n Although Washington scored a late touchdown with the game already in hand, a pivotal play came midway through the fourth quarter when the Chargers had a chance to take a big bite out of the visitor\u2019s 20-10 lead. On third-and-goal from the 4, quarterback Justin Herbert<\/a> fired a pass for sure-handed receiver Keenan Allen<\/a>. But the ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage, then intercepted by Washington cornerback Mike Sainristil. The threat was neutralized.<\/p>\n Tip or no tip, the cornerback said he was going to wind up with the interception.<\/p>\n \u201cI was in my zone just playing off Herbert\u2019s eyes and seeing where he was,\u201d Sainristil said. \u201cHonestly, with the tip or not, I think he was going to throw it right to me just based on where he was looking. We made the check that put me in the right spot.\u201d<\/p>\n Washington players celebrate after cornerback Mike Sainristil intercepts a pass intended for Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen in the fourth quarter Sunday.<\/p>\n (Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n It was the second time in two weeks Herbert saw a pass batted and picked off.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes it\u2019s just bad luck,\u201d the quarterback said. \u201cThe play was open, timing and rhythm felt right, but the defender made a good play getting his hand up. In the red zone, those windows are so tight that there\u2019s no margin for error.\u201d<\/p>\n Suddenly, the Chargers have to worry about their own window of opportunity closing. Historically, Harbaugh\u2019s teams get better in his second season as coach. Last year\u2019s team never lost more than two games in a row.<\/p>\n Like most everyone in the NFL, the Chargers had troubles containing Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels<\/a>, who is slowed somewhat by a sprained knee and bulky brace. The onetime star from Cajon High in San Bernardino threw for 231 yards and ran for 39.<\/p>\n Heading into the game, the primary concern of the Chargers offense was protecting Herbert, who was pressured on 46 drop backs in the first four games, more than any quarterback in the game, according to TruMedia<\/a>. He was facing a defense Sunday that includes future Hall of Famers Von Miller and Bobby Wagner.<\/p>\n Herbert creates problems for defenses with his arm and legs. On the third play from scrimmage, he broke loose on a run up the middle and picked up 41 yards.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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