Chargers find a way to win ugly. Let’s keep it simple: Los Angeles scored 27 points and won by 21 while totaling just 191 yards of offense. That’s the kind of night it was for the Chargers, who found the going to be rather difficult against a notoriously stingy Jets defense that certainly its job. Austin Ekeler found some early success and scored two touchdowns, but finished with just 47 yards on 14 carries. Keenan Allen led the Chargers in receiving with 77 yards, while Justin Herbert posted a passer rating of 65.4. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win, one Los Angeles can be proud of for the way its defense (and special teams) rose to the occasion.
Jets can’t get out of their own way. It sure seemed as if each positive play for New York came with a catch Monday night. Breece Hall runs around the left end for 6 yards? Penalty, holding on Allen Lazard. That’s how the night went for the Jets, who couldn’t avoid hurting themselves. What was arguably even worse was how the Chargers gave the Jets opportunities to get back into the game — interceptable passes landing incomplete, fumbles available to be recovered by the Jets but somehow rescued by the Chargers to maintain possession, slightly muffed punts saved from catastrophe simply because nearby Jets weren’t able to fall on them. Yet, New York consistently didn’t capitalize. It’s a shame, because the Jets’ defense played well enough to win. Just look at the final team statistics. But every 50/50 play went the Chargers’ way, a remarkably surprising outcome for a team known for ending up on the losing end of such events. Sometimes, it’s bad luck, but it happened so often.