Chargers defense cracks in loss to Eagles

Staff Writer

Oct. 1, 2017 8:05 PM PT

What Chargers coach Anthony Lynn likes to describe as a “bend-but-don’t-break” defense was stretched and twisted like a lump of Silly Putty on Sunday, yielding 16 plays of 10 yards or more in a 26-24 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in StubHub Center.

It snapped on LeGarrette Blount’s 68-yard run early in the fourth quarter, when the 6-foot, 250-pound frigate of an Eagles running back seemed to flick defensive back Desmond King aside near midfield and carry the rookie on his back for the final five yards.

It couldn’t corral elusive quarterback Carson Wentz, who completed 17 of 31 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown, or slow Blount, who had 136 yards in 16 carries, or make enough third-down stops — Philadelphia converted nine of 16 for 56% — or create a turnover for a third consecutivet week.

Yet, for all their shortcomings, for all their missed tackles and coverage lapses and the huge chunks of real estate they gave up, it was a disputed illegal-hands-to-the-face penalty on reserve defensive end Darius Philon that finally broke the Chargers’ backs and kept them winless in four games.

The Eagles had a 19-17 lead when Blount, on a second-and-six play from the 29-yard line, ripped off his long run, giving Philadelphia a first and goal at the three-yard line with 12 1/2 minutes to play.

The Chargers defense stiffened, Joey Bosa stopping Blount for one yard on first down and Tenny Palepoi dropping Blount for a four-yard loss on second down.

Pressure from Philon and a blitzing King flushed Wentz out of the pocket on third down, and King sacked the quarterback for a 10-yard loss, seemingly forcing Philadelphia to try for another field goal.

Not so fast. Philon was flagged for his penalty, giving Philadelphia a first and goal at the two. The Chargers held for two more plays, but on third down, Wendell Smallwood leaped into the end zone for a three-yard touchdown run and a 26-17 lead.

“I totally disagreed with the call,” Philon said. “I never knew hands to the face to be to the throat, to the chest. Of course, you’re gonna call hands to the face when the helmet goes back and you’re thinking it’s because of the push and the penetration I was getting. I just thought it was a bad call by the ref.”

Had the Chargers held the Eagles to a field goal on that possession, they would have taken a lead on Philip Rivers’ four-yard touchdown pass to Hunter Henry, which was set up by Rivers’ 50-yard catch-and-run to Keenan Allen. Instead, that score pulled the Chargers only to within 26-24 with 4 1/2 minutes left.

“It stinks,” said cornerback Casey Hayward, who was the Chargers’ most effective defender with five passes defensed and another nullified by penalty. “It was third down, and we actually got off the field. Illegal hands to the face is kind of iffy. We can’t have penalties, and we have to win on third downs. That’s what it’s about.”

The Eagles went into the game with an NFL-leading 53 plays of 10 yards or more, and they padded that figure against the Chargers, reeling off four consecutive double-digit gains on a second-quarter scoring drive, a 10-yard run by Blount, Wentz’s 12-yard pass to Zach Ertz, a 14-yard pass to Nelson Agholor and Wentz’s 12-yard scramble.

The Chargers have been solid against the pass, but after yielding 214 yards on the ground Sunday, they’re giving up 163.5 yards rushing per game, second-worst in the AFC.

“We have to tackle,” Lynn said. “Today, I thought there were a lot of missed tackles. That’s a power runner over there, so we have to tackle him a certain way, and we didn’t get that done.”

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Eagles cornerback Patrick Robinson dives to break up a pass intended for Chargers receiver Travis Benjamin in the first quarter at StubHub Center.