Chargers vs. Vikings: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes
Nothing seemed to go right for the San Diego Chargers in their 31-14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, a sentiment felt by head coach Mike McCoy postgame.
"Nothing went right today and that sums everything up for us," he told reporters after the game, per Marty Caswell of The Darren Smith Show on The Mighty 1090 AM. "There's no excuses on our end. We got beat."
A fumble by Philip Rivers led to a Minnesota field goal for the game's first points, and Teddy Bridgewater led the Vikings on an 11-play, 67-yard drive capped off by Adrian Peterson's two-yard plunge into the end zone that helped give Minnesota a 10-3 lead. Rivers got San Diego within 10-7 before the half, hooking up with Keenan Allen for a 34-yard score, but it was all Vikings the rest of the way.
After a three-and-out by the Chargers to start the second half, Peterson took his first carry of the quarter 43 yards for a touchdown, and the Vikings scored again on their next drive when Zach Line broke the plane from the 1-yard line to help make it 24-7. Rivers' tipped pass intended for Stevie Johnson was intercepted and returned for a score by Chad Greenway on the very next series, and backups were inserted in the last 8:37 or so to finish out the game.
San Diego, which has not led in a game since the fourth quarter of Week 1, dropped to 1-2 on the season, losing for the second straight week on the road. Minnesota, meanwhile, improved to 2-1 and has looked good in back-to-back wins at home.
For more on Sunday's loss by the Chargers, click ahead.
Position Grades for Chargers
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | D+ |
| RB | D |
| WR | C+ |
| TE | C |
| OL | F |
| DL | D |
| LB | D |
| DB | C |
| Special Teams | C- |
| Coaching | F |
Rivers was 21-of-34 for 246 yards with one touchdown and the pick-six. He fought hard to keep his team in it, but Minnesota's defense got after him all day, making it impossible to forge a comeback.
Melvin Gordon, who was averaging 4.6 yards per carry coming into the game, escaped for one long run of 13 yards, but the Vikings held him in check for the most part (14 carries, 51 yards). It didn't help that he rarely had blocking, but it was a subpar performance nonetheless by him.
Danny Woodhead had 11 yards rushing and 32 yards receiving. He had one big catch of 22 yards running across the middle, but the Vikings planned well for him on defense.
Keenan Allen had a good day for fantasy owners, catching 12 passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns, but it was meaningless in a loss, and some of that came in garbage time with Kellen Clemens throwing him passes against a softer defense in the fourth quarter.
Malcom Floyd had 63 yards in catches, including a big one of 39 yards that kept the drive alive on a 3rd-and-18. Stevie Johnson had 46 yards and was kept out of the end zone, halting his touchdown streak at two games.
With Ladarius Green inactive due to a concussion, John Phillips got the start at tight end and caught all four of his targets for 35 yards. And although it didn't result in a W for his team, Phillips had a pretty amazing one-handed catch that definitely helped his cred as a pass-catcher.
The offensive line, struck hard by injuries, was at its worst for a second straight week, giving up four sacks and allowing a ton of pressure on Rivers. San Diego's quarterback was hit so hard at one point, the team needed to call a timeout for him to catch his breath. Rivers was in front of a firing squad for much of the day, and with the injuries he sustained last season due to hits, it's concerning how much more he can take.
On the defensive line, Kendall Reyes stood out with a couple of pressures on Bridgewater and three tackles, but the unit did not play well as a whole. Minnesota's offensive line created nice pockets for Bridgewater on passing downs, and Peterson had all kinds of alleys to run through.
The linebacking corps spent most of the afternoon chasing down Peterson, but none really had a positive performance to speak of. Melvin Ingram, a few times, forced Bridgewater into some inaccurate throws, but he was called for defensive holding on a field-goal try, thus giving the Vikings an automatic first down on 4th-and-9. Minnesota scored a couple of plays later.
A depleted secondary missing Brandon Flowers and Jahleel Addae to start was already a bit shaky, but it got worse when Jason Verrett was unable to finish the game because of a lingering foot problem. He played on and off in the first half and missed the second half, leaving Patrick Robinson and Steve Williams to fend for themselves.
On a positive note, Williams got his first career interception, and the Vikings had only 13 completions for 121 yards with no touchdowns through the air. Where San Diego's defensive backs struggled, however, was on run defense.
Verrett and Flowers, who normally do a good job of coming up to make tackles on the ball-carrier, were sorely missed as Peterson had no trouble getting upfield. Had it not been for Eric Weddle as the last line of defense, Peterson could have easily done more damage.
Mike Scifres had a busy day with six punts, including a bomb of 68 yards when the Chargers were backed up deep in their own territory, but he did shank one for only 22 yards, and the Vikings were able to score on the drive that followed with good field position.
McCoy earns a poor grade this week after what might have been his second-worst loss as Chargers head coach. It doesn't top the 37-0 loss against Miami last season, but it's definitely up there as one of the bad ones.
Injuries Pile Up on the Offensive Line
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The injury bug had it out for the offensive line on Sunday, dealing out pain left and right. Left guard Orlando Franklin was the first to go when he got his right leg pinned at the end of a run play. Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported after the game that X-rays were negative on Franklin's ankle, and he is scheduled to have an MRI on Monday.
Center Chris Watt and guard D.J. Fluker were also banged up. Watt had been dealing with a groin issue this past week, and Fluker had just returned from an ankle injury that held him out of last week's contest. Left tackle King Dunlap suffered a concussion, per Gehlken, and backup Chris Hairston was in and out of the game with a lower leg injury.
The Chargers dressed eight offensive linemen for Sunday, all of whom had to play. Many who were dinged up had to play through the pain because there was no one else to substitute.
Peterson Runs over Chargers D
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In Peterson's previous two games against the Chargers, he had a 296-yard performance in 2007 and a 98-yard performance in 2011. On Sunday, he added 126 yards in his third meeting against them. For his career, he is averaging 173.3 yards in games against San Diego for 7.87 yards per carry, which is ridiculous when you really think about.
I'm sure the Chargers planned all week on how they would stop Peterson or at least limit him in some way, but it didn't matter, as strength won out. The All-Pro broke tackles, made nasty cuts and was simply too much to handle. Just look at the long touchdown run he had, and count the missed tackles for yourself. They don't call him "All Day" Adrian Peterson for nothing.
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Penalties and Pass Rush Still a Problem
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Penalties were a big problem in Week 2, and they continue to be a problem after the Chargers racked up seven for a total of 74 yards lost on Sunday. The offensive line had two penalties, the defense had three and there were two on special teams. Can't say it enough: Penalties are momentum-killers. The Chargers will continue to struggle if penalties are not cleaned up.
And as for the pass rush, San Diego has just one sack through the first three games, compared to the 10 by its opponents. Ingram and Reyes got in Bridgewater's face a few times during Sunday's game, but the lack of sacks is troubling, considering Ingram, Attaochu and Kyle Emanuel were healthy for the most part. Where's that pass rush we saw in the preseason? Gone already?
HC McCoy on Turnovers
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"As a football team, we've got to eliminate the turnovers," McCoy told reporters after the game, per the team's Twitter page.
With two turnovers against the Vikings on Sunday, the Chargers have given the ball away eight times in the last three games, six of which belong to Rivers (four interceptions, two fumbles). It's tough as it is to win games in the NFL, but if you turn the ball over as many times as San Diego has, it makes it nearly impossible to get ahead.
As was pointed out earlier, the Chargers haven't led in a game since the fourth quarter of Week 1, and a lot of that has to do with turnovers. It stops momentum on offense and puts the defense in a difficult position to make stand after stand. McCoy will stress the matter in practice this week, but we'll see if it sticks.
Rivers on Sunday's Game and the Season Moving Forward
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"Collectively, we fought 'til the end. We have a long way to go. ... There's a lot of football left," he told reporters postgame, per the team's Twitter page.
Rivers and a few of the first-teamers came out of the game with 8:37 left on the clock, so while the Chargers fought hard, it wasn't worthwhile to finish the fourth quarter and risk injury. In fact, some might argue that Rivers should have been yanked earlier with the shots he was taking behind a crumbling offensive line.
And while 13 more games remain on the schedule, that doesn't change the fact that San Diego should be concerned by such a poor start to the season. This team is far more capable than what we've seen thus far, and with injuries building, it will only get tougher. Fair to say that next week's game is a must-win at home to get things back on track.
Fluker on Finishing the Game Despite Injury
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"It was a lot of heart...there was no one left," Fluker told the media after the game, per Caswell.
According to Caswell, Fluker said he has no idea how he finished the game despite being hardly able to walk afterward. The starting right guard for the Chargers returned to practice this week after being carted off with an ankle injury in Week 1. Fluker was initially projected to miss 4-6 weeks with the injury but was surprisingly made active against the Vikings a few weeks later.
Moving forward, it's unknown how the Chargers will handle Fluker's injury, given the state of the offensive line. He was able to play through the pain on Sunday, but he clearly wasn't 100 percent. We'll see what develops this week regarding his status for the next game and whether coming back early cost him.
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