The Los Angeles Chargers suffered a tough loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 40-17. Tampa Bay exploded to 27 points while the Chargers went scoreless in the second half.
The Bolts now have an 8-6 overall record, placing them third in the AFC West.
“We didn’t anticipate to have anybody ever score that much on us,” said Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley. “We don’t anticipate it going forward. We don’t want to be that defense, we want to get back to our roots.”
The absence of running back J.K. Dobbins was prevalent as the Chargers running game was held to 32 yards.
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“We got to hang our hats on our run game,” said Bolts tackle Rashawn Slater. “That’s who we have to be as a team. I think any good team does that.”
Bolts quarterback Justin Herbert made 21 passes for 195 rushing yards but was sacked thrice.
“[Herbert] did anything and everything in his power to get it done,” said Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. “We just didn’t get it done.”
Despite throwing an interception, Buccaneers signal-caller Baker Mayfield completed 22 throws for 288 yards.
The game was close throughout the first half. The Bolts defense made significant turnovers in the second quarter with cornerback Tarheeb Still picking off Mayfield and linebacker Joey Bosa forcing a fumble for safety Elijah Molden to recover.
“I thought they did a good job of causing those turnovers, getting us the ball back,” Herbert said. “We got to go execute, we got to go capitalize on those turnovers and understand that we got to walk away with points.”
The Chargers face a short week as they host the Denver Broncos on Thursday. Recovery started immediately after the game. Watching film is also key to prepare for the divisional matchup.
“We got to get this done by any means, get everything corrected, and get ready Thursday night,” said Chargers edge Khalil Mack.
Despite the loss, the Chargers remain hopeful. The team still has a good chance of reaching the playoffs. With a 9-5 overall record, the Broncos have high playoff hopes as well.
“Everything we want is still in front of us and we still control our own destiny,” said Chargers safety Derwin James. “So lets come in and lock in this week and get ready for Denver.”
