Chargers News: Standout Safety Blames Ill-Prepared Defense For Loss To Lions

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The Los Angeles Chargers dropped another game this past weekend, this time to the Detroit Lions by a score of 41-38. After getting their record back to .500, LA now finds themselves once again behind the eight ball, and they will be playing catch-up.
It was a disappointing game for this team, especially on the defensive end of the field. They allowed 533 yards of offense to the Lions, and they wasted a solid performance from their own offense. To their credit, the Chargers offense put up 421 yards of offense, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.
This game was a classic shootout, but the Bolts know that they need to be better. Safety Derwin James Jr. spoke about the poor performance, simply saying that the defensive unit didn’t show up on the day.
“I don’t want to blame it on nothing, but we didn’t come to play today,” Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. said. “We didn’t get it done today. (The offense was) ballin’. I feel bad for letting them down today, especially as one of the captains on defense. We’re going to control what we can control and get back to work.”
Per Derwin James Jr. via The OC Register
The defense didn’t do their part in the game, and it ended up costing them. They had been playing very well over the last few weeks, but against Detroit, they went back to their early season ways.
Bolts defensive edge rusher Khalil Mack believes that it was all on the Chargers for the loss. He took ownership for not having the unit ready to go.
“It was nothing they did, it’s what we didn’t do,” Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack said. “It’s what we didn’t do, yeah. That’s on me. I’ll take that being one of the guys, especially on the outside. We’ve been consistently playing the run and we gave up 200 yards rushing.”
Per Khalil Mack via The OC Register
It was tough to watch as the Bolts offense carved up the Lions defense, but the defense couldn’t stop anything. They now will head to Green Bay for a matchup with the Packers to see if they can once again get back to a .500 record.
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Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.
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