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Easton’s stick He was again given the first half to prove his worth. Chargers‘ backup to Injured quarterback Justin Herbert. While his performance improved from the first preseason game, he did not meet expectations on Saturday. Loss 13-9 against the Rams at SoFi Stadium.
Here are some key takeaways from the Chargers’ loss:
Stick against Perez
Stick completed eight of 13 passes for 85 yards, but his play was marred by balls thrown too far and costly turnovers — a fumble at the one-yard line and an interception in the red zone.
He showed off his athleticism, rushing five times for 22 yards, most of which were 12 yards on a designed run.
Luis Perez In the second half, Perez took control of the game, completing 13 of 20 passes for 78 yards and leading a field goal drive. Perez looked more comfortable in the pocket than in his preseason debut and found success connecting on short passes. Despite this, he fumbled while being sacked.
For coach Jim HarbaughStick’s performance represented progress from the previous week. Harbaugh highlighted the offense’s ability to move the ball, string together plays and convert first downs. However, he stressed that the Chargers need to focus on scoring points and taking advantage of possessions.
Stick will start the Chargers’ final preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, Harbaugh said.
Costly mistakes
How many ways can a team sabotage itself? The Chargers tried to answer that question in the first half.
Costly mistakes and turnovers turned promising drives into setbacks. Stick’s fumble at the goal line in the second quarter came after a 13-play, 49-yard drive.
“It’s my fault,” Stick said of the loose ball. “It was a good pass. It hit my hands and I dropped it.”
On the next drive, the Chargers squandered a promising drive, highlighted by a 22-yard reception and run by Simi Fehoko. Under pressure from the left side, Stick threw a tipped pass intended for Fehoko, which was intercepted by Rams cornerback Jaylen McCollough.
Read more: Injured Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert finally kicks out of protective gear
On their next possession, the Chargers moved into scoring position again when Stick connected with Fehoko on a 30-yard pass to the Rams 24. But after three carries by running back Elijah Dotson, the drive was derailed by a false start by offensive tackle Foster Sarell, forcing the Chargers to settle for a 37-yard field goal.
“Those are the things you can’t do,” Harbaugh said. “We have to focus on the details and control the things we can control in all phases — offense, defense and special teams.”
Vidal’s welcome to the NFL
After battling injuries for much of camp, rookie sixth-round running back Kimani Vidal made the most of his preseason debut.
Although Jarrett Patterson was the starter, Vidal came in early in the first quarter and quickly became the focus of the ground attack. Vidal had a 13-yard rush on his first carry, followed by an eight-yard run in which he showed his physicality by running into a defender. He finished as the game’s leading rusher with 49 yards on 11 carries and added two receptions.
Read more: Luis Perez grew up a fan of the Chargers, who are now big fans of their new quarterback.
“Getting some contact and being able to break tackles felt really good,” Vidal said.
Saturday’s game was confirmation that he belongs in the NFL, Vidal said. Harbaugh singled him out after the game, noting that Vidal’s vision and elusiveness stood out.
Dicker the kicker
Cameron Dicker is off to a strong start as he looks to build on his impressive first full season with the Chargers, when he was among the league leaders in field goal percentage (93.9) and was perfect on extra-point attempts (22 of 22).
After hitting a 58-yard field goal last week, Dicker showed off his range and accuracy, connecting on kicks of 55, 37 and 27 yards to account for all of the Chargers’ points.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
