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The Los Angeles Chargers haven't had much go their way this season, and that trend continued in Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers. Despite leading for most of the night, the Chargers couldn't escape Week 10 with a victory, and ended up losing by a final score of 22-16. This loss was particularly impactful, as the Chargers lost control of the number seven seed in the AFC playoff picture.
There's still a lot of time for the Chargers to turn things around, but the fact that they are on the outside looking in currently isn't a great sign for their second half prospects. Los Angeles is going to have to figure out things on both sides of the ball, and more importantly, they need to get some of their key players healthy.
L.A.'s latest loss showed that the team cannot function with the way things currently are for them, and that even their best players are struggling to deal with all the attrition the team is currently facing. Let's take a look at three players whose struggles contributed to the Chargers latest loss in Week 10 against the 49ers.
3. Michael Davis
Michael Davis has had to take on a bigger role now that J.C. Jackson is out for the rest of the season, and for the most part, Davis has held up well this season. That wasn't the case against the 49ers, though, as Davis struggled to contain the 49ers various pass-catching threats, and it was one of his worst performances of the season.
Davis finished the night with six tackles, which isn't bad for a cornerback, but that also shows that he was allowing far more completions than he should have. While Asante Samuel Jr. did a good job of keeping Deebo Samuel quiet, Davis was primarily responsible for Brandon Aiyuk's six catch, 84 yard performance, with both totals pacing the 49ers receiving crew.
For the most part, Davis has held up well this season, but it's clear he was a bit overmatched in this one. The Chargers are going to be counting on Davis to continue showing up for them this season, though, so he will have to find his way back to form sooner rather than later if Los Angeles wants to get back into the win column.
2. Austin Ekeler
Austin Ekeler has done a good job keeping the Chargers offense afloat lately, primarily due to the fact that he had scored ten total touchdowns in the past five games. Ekeler cooled off in a big way against the 49ers, though, as they sought to limit his impact on the game, and they ended up being quite successful in their quest to keep Ekeler out of the end zone.
Ekeler didn't get much of an opportunity to break out in this game, as he had just six carries for 24 yards, while also hauling in seven passes for another 39 yards. Ekeler still had a high volume of touches, but the 49ers did a great job of slowing him down. Ultimately, Ekeler's inability to do much hurt the Chargers offense in a big way.
It's a bit unfair to throw Ekeler on this list since he had a lot working against him in this game, but he had been producing in recent weeks despite the Chargers being severely limited on offense. The expectation that he would be able to do something similar against the 49ers wasn't unreasonable, and it may have cost his team the win.
1. Justin Herbert
Justin Herbert's season has come to represent the Chargers season as a whole. He's trying to do everything he can to keep his team alive, but he's playing injured and without his top playmakers. Despite his best efforts, Herbert didn't stand much of a chance against the 49ers, and he earns the top spot on this list.
Working without his top three wide receivers, and eventually his top tight end in Gerald Everett, Herbert posted a respectable statline (21/35, 196 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT) but couldn't get the offense going for much of the night. Even with Ekeler, and a passable wide receiver duo DeAndre Carter and Joshua Palmer at his disposal, Herbert couldn't establish any sort of offensive consistency.
Herbert's interception cost the Chargers their last shot to win the game, and while he did get hit as he threw, Los Angeles hadn't done anything earlier in the game to make anyone believe they were going to suddenly figure out how to score a touchdown against San Francisco. Herbert needs help, but he's also going to have to be better himself if he wants to help the Chargers right the ship.
