Chargers’ Problems Apparent in First Half : They Fall Behind Rams, 31-0, Then Rally Falls Short in 31-24 Loss

The Chargers, one week away from the NFL’s first regular-season game, are farther than ever from the Super Bowl, a game in which they have never played.

If you placed your hands over your ears and whistled past the graveyard that was San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium during the first half Friday night, you still would not have been able to avoid hearing the boos.

Yes, it got exciting later. Too much later. The final score: Los Angeles Rams 31, Chargers 24.

The score at halftime, when it was starters vs. starters: Rams 31, Chargers 0.

Do you think holdout linebacker Chip Banks heard the boos back home in Atlanta? Do you think his bargaining leverage improved when the Charger defense allowed 245 yards in the first 30 minutes?

Before the game, Charger Coach Al Saunders said there was little chance quarterback Babe Laufenberg would not start the Sept. 4 opener against the Raiders in Los Angeles.

What if Laufenberg was horrible against the Rams? Saunders was asked.

“We’d have to evaluate it at the time,” Saunders replied.

Not to worry. Laufenberg was more than passable. He completed 8 of 14 in the first half for 68 yards. And he threw touchdown passes of 18 and 35 yards to free agent, rookie wide receiver Darren Flutie on the first two possessions of the third period.

Still under Laufenberg, the Chargers closed all the way to 31-21 moments later on a 1-yard touchdown run by Barry Redden, following a pass interference call on the Rams’ Mickey Sutton.

Laufenberg finished 15 of 25 for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Saunders inserted Mark Malone in place of Laufenberg late in the third quarter, and Malone worked the Chargers down to the Ram seven. He had Timmie Ware open in the end zone for a touchdown that would have cut the lead to three points. But he overthrew him.

So the Chargers had to settle for a 22-yard Vince Abbott field goal that cut the Ram lead to 31-24 with 9:55 to play. But they never were able to make up the final points of the first-half deficit.

Laufenberg and Malone having turned in satisfactory performances, it most the other players Saunders must evaluate before he trims his roster to 45 players plus two reserves on Monday.

Then he will have to re-evaluate the players he keeps. And re-evaluate. It will be a long week.

His offensive line has reduced most of Laufenberg’s pass drops into Keystone Cop parodies. His defensive pass rush is erratic at best.

In four exhibition games, three of which the Chargers lost, his defense intercepted a grand total of one pass. Starting left cornerback Elvis Patterson continues to get beat deep with frightening regularity.

The first half was not a pretty sight.

At the outset, the Chargers were determined to establish a running game that had been non-existent two weeks ago in their 27-6 loss to these same Rams in Anaheim.

In that game, they managed just one rushing first down and 12 first downs overall. This time, they achieved a rushing first down on their first possession when Redden gained two yards off right tackle to the Charger 26.

The drive advanced all the way to the Ram 18 thanks mainly to a nifty, 24-yard completion from Laufenberg to rookie wide receiver Anthony Miller. But two consecutive penalties and a missed 50-yard field goal attempt by Vince Abbott killed the drive.

Penalties continued to hurt the Chargers as the Rams marched 67 yards on 13 plays to take a 7-0 lead on a four-yard sweep by Charles White.

The chief Charger victim on the touchdown was starting left outside linebacker Keith Browner. Browner got sucked inside and allowed White to bounce outside, around right end and into the end zone.

Browner was starting in place of injured Billy Ray Smith (calf). And he didn’t help his chances of surviving Monday’s cutdown when he committed two penalties on consecutive plays earlier in the Rams’ first scoring drive. The first was a holding call, the second was offsides.

The Chargers committed yet another penalty on the ensuing kickoff. When the gun went off ending the first period, the Chargers had been charged with five penalties for 35 yards. The Rams hadn’t been penalized a yard.

It got worse before it got better. The sixth Charger penalty--delay of game--backed them up to their own six-yard line immediately after Miller dropped a perfectly thrown Laufenberg bomb at the Ram 45. The defensive back Miller beat on the play--Leroy Irvin, one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL.

Three plays later, rookie Ram wide receiver Willie Anderson did the same thing to Charger cornerback Elvis Patterson. But he didn’t drop the ball.

The result was a 54-yard touchdown pass and a 14-0 lead 14:01 before halftime.

The defense clearly missed Smith and holdout Banks. The only good news forthcoming was the pregame announcement that the Chargers had reached a contract agreement with holdout defensive lineman Joe Phillips.

But he wasn’t there to stop yet another scoring drive, this one set up by tight end Rod Bernstine’s fumble, which was recovered by Mel Owens at the Charger 25. Seven plays later, Mike Lansford converted a 25-yard field goal to make it 17-0.

The rout was on. The next drive covered 72 yards and took 8 plays. The score came on Greg Bell’s one-yard dive.

The Rams final touchdown had come with 46 seconds left in the first half on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Jim Everett to Michael Young.