Bolts drop to 2-3

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Sunday, Oct 05, 2008
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com

For the first time this season, the Chargers scored on their first drive of the game. Unfortunately, the Bolts made only two more trips to the red zone during the final 52 minutes of the game, which contributed to their 17-10 loss in Miami Sunday afternoon.

“We got off to a rough start,” quarterback Philip Rivers said. “We tried to dig back again and almost did. We were just never in sync offensively. We just didn’t play very well. That’s going to happen sometimes, but this one hurts.”

The Chargers came out strong, driving 61 yards on their opening drive that culminated with a 34-yard Nate Kaeding field goal that gave them an early 3-0 advantage. It was the only lead they held on the day.

On Miami’s ensuing drive, the Dolphins responded with a field goal of their own, a 47-yard Dan Carpenter kick that tied the game at 3-3.

While the Chargers entered Sunday’s game with the NFL’s second-highest scoring offense, they’d experienced some struggles early in games this season. The Bolts have fallen behind in all five of their contests, and Sunday was no exception.

The Bolts’ inability to find a rhythm on offense allowed the Dolphins to control the clock for more than 36 minutes Sunday, a 13-minute advantage over the Chargers. Miami took advantage of their number of opportunities with two touchdowns in the second quarter.

The Dolphins opened up a 10-3 lead midway through the second frame when quarterback Chad Pennington found former Charger Greg Camarillo in the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown. The play capped a nine play drive that saw Miami convert a fourth down and overcome a Marques Harris and Shaun Phillips sack.

Later in the quarter, Pennington led the Dolphins 79 yards in 11 plays, a drive that was capped by running back Ronnie Brown’s five-yard touchdown run on a direct snap. Brown’s run allowed Miami to take a 17-3 lead into halftime.

Despite being on the field for much of the afternoon, the Bolts’ defense held strong and kept Miami off the board in the second half. That gave the Chargers several chances to get back into the game.

“We did some good things but we gave up some big plays,” said linebacker Stephen Cooper, who had eight tackles in his first game back following a suspension. “There are some things to be proud of but you’re never going to feel good when you don’t win.”

Late in the third quarter, the Chargers used a couple big plays in the passing game to close the gap. On 3^rd-and-10 from their own 43 yard line, Rivers connected with wide receiver Vincent Jackson for a 42-yard gain. Two plays later, former Dolphins Chris Chambers made a nifty move to drag both feet and secure a 17-yard touchdown pass from Rivers that made it a 17-10 contest.

“We thought we could take a couple shots down the field and finally got one on them,” Jackson said. “It was a big play and Chris followed it with a big catch. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t make a few more big ones today.”

The Chargers had a golden opportunity to tie the game minutes later. On the ensuing kickoff following Chambers’ score, fullback Jacob Hester knocked the ball out of return man Davone Bess’ hand and recovered the loose ball.

The Bolts took over on Miami’s 25, but Tomlinson was stuffed on 4^th-and-goal from the one to end the threat.

“It was one of our favorite plays down there and we had been successful in doing it,” Tomlinson said. “They did a good job of snuffing out the play. They got penetration and they were able to stop us.”

The Chargers forced a Dolphins punt on their ensuing drive, but a Matt Roth sack led the Bolts to punt it right back. A three-and-out by the Dolphins’ offense gave the Chargers one more chance with 7:33 remaining in the game. The Bolts knew it was one they couldn’t let slip away.

“We talked in the huddle, ‘This is it right here. We may not get another great opportunity,’” Rivers said. “We didn’t do it and we didn’t get it back.”

The Bolts punted the ball back to Pennington and company with 6:03 left in the game and never got it back. Brown, who finished the day with 125 yards on 24 carries, was able to run out the final six minutes of the clock as the Dolphins preserved a 17-3 lead.

While the Chargers were able to regain a lead after trailing early in each of their first four games, their lack of offense early finally caught up to them Sunday.

“It’s pretty frustrating because we can’t put a finger on it,” Tomlinson said. “We don’t know exactly what’s the reason in why we start so slow. We don’t want to start slow but it seems like we find ourselves behind the eight ball and then it makes it tougher trying to catch up in the end.”

Tomlinson finished the day with 35 yards on 12 carries. He also led the chargers in receptions with five. Rivers, who entered the game as the NFL’s second highest rated passer, was 13-of-28 for 159 yards and a touchdown. Pennington had a typical day for the accurate thrower as he completed 22-of-29 passes for 228 yards.

While frustrated with their inconsistency, the Chargers tipped their hats to a Miami team that won their second-consecutive game by controlling the ball on the ground and pressuring the opposing quarterback.

“They outplayed us,” Rivers said. “It’s as simple as that. It’s a tough trip back and a tough game next week. We’ll have to regroup and get ready to go.”

J. Pat Carter, AP

Ronnie Brown's big day helped the Dolphins outlast the Bolts.

	Gameday: Norv Turner Post game press conference with Head Coach Norv Turner Play
	Gameday: Philip Rivers Post game press conference with QB Philip Rivers. Play
	Gameday: LaDainian Tomlinson Post game press conference with RB LaDainian Tomlinson. Play
	Gameday: Stephen Cooper Post game press conference with LB Stephen Cooper. Play