The Los Angeles Chargers fell to 0-2 on the season after losing to the Miami Dolphins 19-17.
Stat of the Game:
It was a record-breaking day for Antonio Gates. His four-yard catch late in the second quarter was the 900th of his career. He became only the 22nd player in NFL history to reach the 900-reception plateau. Later, Gates broke the record for most touchdowns by a tight end in NFL history off a seven-yard pass from Philip Rivers. It was also the 85th time Rivers and Gates found paydirt tying Steve Young and Jerry Rice for second most touchdowns by a QB/WR-TE duo in NFL history.
Play of the Game:
On 2nd-and-goal from the seven in the third quarter, Philip Rivers stepped back and tossed a pass down the middle. Antonio Gates had a glimmer of separation from the safety, and leapt up to catch the pass. That catch gave Gates 112 total TDs, and the record for most touchdowns by a tight end in NFL history. It set off a raucous celebration as his teammates mobbed him in the end zone.
Turning Point:
The Dolphins were down 17-16 with three minutes left. After driving to the Chargers 36, Miami opted to kick a long field goal rather than go for it on 4th-and-6. Cody Parkey's 54-yard field goal attempt was good, and those points ended up being the difference in the game.
It Was Over When:
The Bolts got the ball back with just over a minute left in the game. After getting down to the Miami 26, Younghoe Koo came out for a 44-yard field goal attempt. Unfortunately, his kick was wide right and the Chargers ultimately fell to the Dolphins.
Bolt Quotebook
"Younghoe didn't kick well today. He missed two field goals. Last week, it wasn't his issue. I thought he kicked fine (but) the kick (got) blocked. But he didn't kick well today. We'll see how he responds." – Head Coach Anthony Lynn
"I haven't quite wrapped my head around it all. It happened so fast. But I enjoyed (breaking the record), and I tried to move forward." – TE Antonio Gates
"Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. You find out about our group. What we always talk about. The tightness. The toughness. The character of our group. It's times like these that (it) gets tested." – QB Philip Rivers
"They were definitely a challenging front. We went no huddle and tried to speed it up on them. We played them well until the end." – LT Russell Okung
Odds and Ends
The Chargers outgained the Dolphins 367 to 336 yards. While the Bolts had a 323-225 advantage through the air, the Dolphins outgained Los Angeles 111-44 yards on the ground.
The Chargers defense held the Dolphins offense 0-3 in the red zone and 0-2 in goal-to-go situations.
Philip Rivers just set a new franchise mark with his 52nd career 300-yard passing performance. He also passed Vinny Testaverde for 11th place all-time in passing yards.
Rivers finished 31 of 39 for 331 yards and one TD for a 110.6 passer rating.
Keenan Allen caught nine of 10 passes thrown his way for 100 yards.
Branden Oliver led the Bolts in rushing with 31 yards on three carries.
Jatavis Brown paced the defense with 12 total tackles. Melvin Ingram and Chris McCain each had sacks on the day.
Head Coach Anthony Lynn named RB Melvin Gordon, WR Keenan Allen, DT Corey Liuget, S Jahleel Addae and P Drew Kaser captains for the game.
Inactives for the Chargers included QB Cardale Jones, CB Jason Verrett, S Rayshawn Jenkins, T Sam Tevi, TE Sean Culkin, WR Mike Williams and DE Jerry Attaochu.
LaDainian Tomlinson was honored at halftime with his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring.
The Bolts also honored five original members of the 1960 Los Angeles Chargers in the first quarter.
