Chargers Fade Fast
A 42-yard field goal by Arizona rookie Bill Gramatica with one second remaining gave the Cardinals a 20-17 victory Sunday over the fading San Diego Chargers before a stunned crowd of 49,398 at Qualcomm Stadium.
The Chargers’ fourth consecutive loss left the team at 5-6, its playoff hopes rapidly dissolving. The Cardinals are 4-6.
“This game hurt, there’s no doubt about it,” Charger Coach Mike Riley said.
If Gramatica was the hero, Charger kicker Wade Richey was the goat, missing from 25 and 27 yards.
The second miss provoked end zone fans to begin chanting for the return of John Carney, the team’s all-time leading scorer. The Chargers rescinded a contract offer to Carney over the winter to make room for Richey, formerly with the San Francisco 49ers.
The fourth-year pro said he cannot explain his erratic kicking this season (missing nine of 30 field-goal attempts) and added that he has received advice from several kicking specialists.
“It doesn’t take a sports psychologist to know it’s not very hard to make a 25-yard field goal,” Richey said. “ ... I’m struggling right now.”
His teammates were quick to come to his defense.
“It’s frustrating but we can’t put it all on Richey,” rookie running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. “ ... This is one we had to have and we had our chances.”
Tomlinson gained 75 yards in 21 carries and another 72 yards in 13 pass receptions. The latter is a record for Charger running backs.
Five times the Chargers were close but were only able to score two touchdowns: a six-yard pass from quarterback Doug Flutie to wide receiver Curtis Conway in the third quarter, and a 28-yard pass from Flutie to tight end Jeff Graham late in the fourth.
Richey also made a 26-yarder in the first quarter.
Flutie completed 33 of 44 passes for 308 yards.
The Cardinals led, 7-3, at halftime. The only third-quarter score was an 18-yard field goal by Gramatica, who kicked a 50-yarder last week against the Detroit Lions.
“He’s got a big leg, that’s why we drafted him,” Cardinal Coach David McGinniss said of Gramatica.
And big confidence too.
“He told me: ‘It doesn’t matter where it is on the field, I’m going to make it.”’ McGinniss said.
The Chargers tied the score at 17-17 with 1:54 remaining, Flutie’s pass to Graham capping an eight-play, 72-yard drive.
“When our backs are up against the wall, it’s like that’s when we want to show up,” Conway said. “We need to play a full ballgame.”
Gramatica--whose brother, Martin, is the kicker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers--expressed sympathy for Richey.
“You feel for him because it happened to him and it could easily happen to somebody else,” Gramatica said.