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LAC (2-2) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 || 20
TB (2-2) | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 || 21
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Los Angeles struggles in the tropical rainstorm as Tampa eek one through at home
TAMPA, October 4 -- After riding high following their 38-8 victory over the Carolina Panthers, the LA Chargers were dealt a dosage of reality as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers handed them a 21-20 loss, following a botched extra point attempt late in the fourth which would have tied the game. With consistent downpour throughout the game, it turned into a dog fight within the trenches. Casey Hayward put Los Angeles ahead early with a 71 yard interception return before Tom Brady answered back with a 15-play, 76 yard drive. Brady, who threw for 163 yards, threw for 107 yards in the first quarter as Ronald Jones led the way for the rest of the game, which included a 96 yard touchdown in the second quarter as he gashed the Chargers’ defense for 242 total yards.
Los Angeles struggled on offense. Justin Herbert threw a costly bomb which was returned for a touchdown as time expired in the second quarter and nothing they tried to achieve on offense worked. The defense kept them in the game, with Joey Bosa coming up with 4 sacks, one which forced a fumble on third down. The football Gods were not in favour of LA, as that fumble crept across the first down marker with Tampa Bay recovering. The loss leaves the Los Angeles Chargers sitting at 2-2 with the first quarter of the season finished. They week they face the 1-3 New Orleans Saints on Monday night with Drew Brees looking to right New Orleans’ path before it’s another disappointing end to a season which had Super Bowl aspirations throughout the offseason.
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Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[LAC] C. Hayward returned interception 74 yards (8:40)
[TB] R. Jones II 11 yard pass from T. Brady (2:26)
Quarter 2
[TB] R. Jones II 96 yard run (7:43)
[LAC] D. Freeman 11 yard run (0:47)
[TB] M. Stewart returned interception 87 yards (0:00)
Quarter 4
[LAC] A. Ekeler 2 yard run (9:04)
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Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert: 20 of 38, 180 yards, 2 interceptions
Devonta Freeman: 8 carries, 58 yards, 1 touchdown
Jaylen Samuels: 8 carries, 43 yards & 7 receptions, 30 yards
Austin Ekeler: 7 carries, 41 yards, 1 touchdown & 2 receptions, 21 yards
Hunter Henry: 6 receptions, 81 yards
Mike Williams: 3 receptions, 29 yards
DaeSean Hamilton: 2 receptions, 19 yards
Desmond King: 8 tackles
Derwin James: 7 tackles, 2 tfl
Joey Bosa: 6 tackles, 2 tfl, 4 sacks, 1 ff
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady: 21 of 32, 163 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
Ronald Jones II: 17 carries, 149 yards, 1 touchdown & 8 receptions, 93 yards, 1 touchdown
Charles Godwin: 4 receptions, 21 yards
Rob Gronkowski: 3 receptions, 16 yards
T Gabriel: 3 receptions, 20 yards
Devin White: 16 tackles, 4 tfl
A Winfield Jr: 10 tackles, 1 sack
A Adams: 9 tackles, 1 tfl, 1 sack
C. Davis III: 4 tackles, 1 interception
S. Barrett: 5 tackles, 0.5 sacks