Running back Elijah Dotson of the Chargers looks to gain yards against the Seahawks.
The Los Angeles Chargers will be back on the field at SoFi Stadium, in Inglewood, on Saturday when they face the Los Angeles Rams at 4:05 p.m. They hope to have better results against the Rams than they did against Seattle last Saturday, August 10.
The Chargers and the Rams held joint practices at the Chargers new headquarters during in El Segundo the past few weeks so they should be very familiar with each other at this point in the preseason. The game will be televised locally on KCBS Channel 2, the Chargers home station. The game will also be available locally on KABC Channel 7, the television network for the Rams preseason games.
In the Seattle game the Seahawks used a swarming defense to shut down the Los Angeles Chargers, 16-3 at SoFi Stadium. The Seahawks held the Chargers to just 21 yards and zero first downs on offense in their first six offensive possessions. It was a disappointing performance for new head coach Jim Harbaugh's offensive unit.
With Seahawk starting quarterback Geno Smith getting a rest for the preseason game, backup quarterback Sam Howell started and led the Seahawks on two touchdown drives, throwing for 130 yards and one touchdown. Howell completed 16 of 27 passes in the effort. The Seahawks grabbed an early 13-0 second quarter lead and were never threatened after that.
Howell, who was acquired in the offseason by the Seahawks through a trade with the Washington Commanders, was the best and most experienced quarterback on the field on Saturday. Howell started all 17 games with the Commanders in 2023, throwing for 3,946 yards and 21 touchdowns, rushing for 263 yards and five touchdowns. He also led the NFL in passes thrown with 612, interceptions with 21, and sacks taken at 65.
In contrast to Howell, Chargers backup Easton Stick struggled to produce any offense. Stick completed 5 of 13 passes for 32 yards, with one interception. Stick did not get much help from his offensive teammates. Wide receiver DJ Chark dropped a first down pass from Stick and wide receiver Quentin Johnson had zero receptions, struggling to get separation. The running game gained eight yards in those first six offensive possessions.
On their 7th offensive possession, the Chargers gained 26 yards in offense on six plays, which got them into field goal range for a 58-yard field goal from kicker Cameron Dicker, providing the Chargers with their only points of the night. Dicker also had a solo tackle on the ensuing kickoff, which made him the unofficial star of the game for the Chargers.
The Chargers have struggled on offense throughout training camp, so the performance on Saturday was not a complete surprise. It did not help that wide receivers Josh Palmer and Ladd McConkey did not play. Running back J.K. Dobbins and running back Gus Edwards also did not see action on Saturday.
"The offense struggled," Harbaugh said after the game. "It took us until our seventh drive before we had a first down. There's always work to be done, a lot of work to be done. Now, we've begun, which is positive, and we got a place to start. Yeah, offensively there were some good things. Not near enough. It's back to work, you retool, you regroup, and you get back to work on Monday."
When asked about a grade for the offense, Harbaugh stated, "Below average, offensively. I thought we played winning football defensively and I thought winning football in the special teams as well. Good special teams, good defense, below average offense."
The defense did perform well enough, led by linebacker Nick Niemann with 12 tackles, 9 of them solo tackles. He also had a sack. The Chargers had a terrific 3rd quarter goal-line stand at the one-yard line, with former USC linebacker Shane Lee and Niemann combining to tackle Seahawks running back George Holani on a 4th-and-1 for a one-yard loss.
But it will be the Chargers offense that needs to show improvement by the start of the regular season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, September 8, at SoFi Stadium. The Chargers had just 198 yards in total offense and just nine first downs. The Seahawks dominated the time of possession, 39:09 to 20:51.
The Chargers are still in the process of installing the offense, and they are not showing much on offense, which has to frustrate the Raiders who are trying to get ready for their September 8 matchup.
The Chargers are hoping to have their franchise starting quarterback, Justin Herbert, back when they battle the Raiders. Herbert has been sidelined by a plantar fascia injury for the past two weeks. He has been wearing a protective boot.
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