The Big Lead

The Chargers Found Yet Another Way to Lose a Close Game

By Ryan Phillips

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Donald Parham Jr. drops game-winning touchdown pass
Los Angeles Chargers tight end Donald Parham Jr. drops game-winning touchdown pass /
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The Los Angeles Chargers are losers yet again. In fact, they're the best losers in all of football. I don't mean that as a pejorative either, they truly find the best ways to lose games. Especially close ones. On Sunday, they did it again.

The Las Vegas Raiders let the Chargers back into their divisional matchup this week, and the Bolts had a great opportunity to steal a win late. After some poor game management decisions from Jon Gruden, Vegas left the game on the table for the Chargers. Trailing the Raiders 31-26 late in the fourth quarter, Justin Herbert led LA on a 15-play, 71-yard drive that took up all of the 4:37 remaining on the clock. Unfortunately, it didn't result in any points.

After a 16-yard hookup with Mike Williams inside Las Vegas' 4-yard line, Herbert spiked the ball with six seconds left. On second and goal, he lobbed a perfect fade in Williams' direction. The receiver secured the ball in the air, but dropped it as he hit the turf. That left one second on the clock.

After Williams had to exit with an injury, Herbert had another shot on a fade to tight end Donald Parham. That's when things got crazy.

Parham went up for the ball and appeared to come down with it. A touchdown was signaled on the field and the Chargers celebrated a walk-off score and a 32-31 win. But the replay booth was not coming along with them.

Check out the replay:

That's a clear drop, as Parham let the ball bounce off the turf and didn't secure the catch to the ground. The touchdown was overturned and it was the Raiders' turn to celebrate a walk-off touchdown. This comes a week after the Chargers lost to the Denver Broncos 31-30 on a walk-off touchdown pass from Drew Lock to K.J. Hamler.

LA is 2-6 this season with those six losses coming by a total of 24 points. They've surrendered huge leads a number of times and on Sunday two receivers couldn't secure potential game-winning touchdowns that were in their hands.

Frankly, it's a good thing the team has the smallest fanbase in the NFL, it just means there's less suffering in the world today.