The Chargers entered their preseason game against the 49ers with winning hopes but were in for a very tough reality. San Francisco bullied the Bolts into a 41-17 defeat. Even though the 49ers outmatched them, bad play from the Chargers also handed them the loss.
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“We got outplayed and we beat ourselves in all three phases,” he said after the game. “You know, it’s not going to go well when those two things occur. “[We] were called back for illegal formation or the two guys in motion at times. We [were] just sloppy, pre-snap, post-snap. Kind of hard to evaluate the quarterbacks when that kind of air is taking place.”
The Chargers made three costly mistakes in the first half, and each mistake erased a good play. First, Trey Lance threw a 21-yard pass to running back Keaton Mitchell, but an illegal formation penalty canceled the play. Then, Oronde Gadsden II made an 18-yard catch and run, but an illegal shift wiped it out. Later, Lance ran for 11 yards, but another illegal formation penalty erased that gain too. That affected QB play.
The Chargers struggled for most of the game. They punted eight times, recorded seven penalties and only eight first downs, which showed how difficult it was for their offense to move the ball. The lack of a run game was very clear, with the Chargers finishing with only 68 yards on the ground. The 49ers rushed for 146 yards and added three scores.
One of the more notable failures was JK Scott failing to tackle 49ers receiver Jacob Cowing, who breezed past him to return a punt for an impressive 84-yard touchdown, which pushed the 49ers’ lead to 17-3. Harbaugh also addressed that moment in the presser.
“No, he’s got to have a plan when he’s in that position to make a tackle. Something we need to work on, coach up.”
QBs did try to show their gameplay. Justin Herbert played only the first series of the game. He completed 1 of 2 passes for 9 yards, after which the starters were rested.
He was replaced by Trey Lance, who did the best he could in that situation. In the first quarter, he moved the chains once. In the next, he got the Chargers to San Francisco’s 6-yard line, but he could only complete a 2-yard pass in the next three plays.
It was D.J. Uiagalelei who really gave the Chargers some movement in the second half. He scored the team’s only passing touchdown, but was sacked once.
“We are concentrating right now on rebounding, fixing, regrouping,” Harbaugh added.
Clearly, Los Angeles has a lot to work on, with the 49ers humbling them on pretty much every front.