Chargers fall to Titans 20-17. Who’s to blame?

4th quarter, two minutes left….

Jake Locker and The Titans have to drive 90 yards and score a touchdown….

Oh and they have no timeouts….

Unfortunately, The Chargers 32nd ranked pass defense allowed them to do just that. The Chargers were gashed and out gunned by a quarterback who up until Sunday completed a total of 28 passes through two games. On Sunday, locker went 23-37 for 299 yards and rushed 5 times for 68 yards. Like the other two quarterbacks The Chargers have faced this season, Locker was making it look easy against a porous defense.

The Chargers are 1-2 and there is one common theme in those three games. The defense lacks depth and cannot stop even the most mediocre of offenses. So far this season, The Chargers defense has generated little to no pass rush, the secondary is absolutely decimated, Not by injuries, but by lack of talent.

The defensive product that Charger fans have gotten to see the past three games is not a creation of John Pagano. It is an unfortunate remnants of AJ Smith. The defensive veterans that we had to let go in the offseason were players that The Chargers could not afford to keep or no longer wanted to play here. With the ridiculous contracts that Smith gave to Jared Gaither and Robert Meachem, The Chargers were salary capped strapped, they could only afford what they were able to spend. Charger fans are now getting a taste of what the organization bought.

Regardless of all of this there is still no reason that The Chargers should have lost this game. Whether it was the questionable play calling by Mike McCoy and Ken Whisenhunt on 4th and 1 in Titans territory. Whether it was the decision to not give Philip Rivers a chance to win the game and instead running the ball on its last six offensive attempts. Or one of the biggest and most obvious, would be the dropped gift wrapped interception by Marcus Gilchrist…one thing remains clear, The Chargers are just not that good.

Patience is needed by Chargers fans, this is rebuilding process, one that hopefully in time will provide a better product on the field.

by Jake Hefner

Sep 22, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans wide receiver Justin Hunter (15) scores the winning touchdown against San Diego Chargers cornerback Crezdon Butler (20) during the second half at LP Field. The Titans beat the Chargers 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports