Posted on August 14, 2017, by Travis Pulver
If it feels odd to call them the Los Angeles Chargers rather than San Diego— you’re not alone. It is a shame whenever a team leaves a city, but especially when it is one they have called home for as long as the Chargers called San Diego home. But what’s done is done. Los Angeles has gone from having no NFL teams to two now in just a couple of years.
Sunday night they hoped to start their time in the City of Angels off on the right foot, but there was just one problem. They were playing the Seattle Seahawks— and those guys are pretty good.
Via @_LiveNFLScores
But it is only the NFL preseason, so the Chargers will get another chance when the regular season begins in a few weeks.
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As far as preseason games go, this one was pretty entertaining. More so for Seattle fans since the score was lopsided in their favor, 48-17, but entertaining nonetheless. There were certainly some interesting things worth noting.
- The StubHub Center can’t be the best place for an NFL team to call home since it only has about 27,000 seats. But from how it looked on television, it seemed like a pretty cool place to watch a football game.
“The atmosphere was great,” Gates said (ESPN). “I really wasn’t expecting a full house. I assumed that Seattle would bring their fans, and we would have some Los Angeles fans that would be there to support us. I was more anxious to see what we were about as a team.”
- Phillip Rivers is as good as ever. He didn’t play much, but his one drive couldn’t have gone better than it did. It was only fitting that his first touchdown pass in his team’s new home went to Antonio Gates.
- Last season it looked like the Cleveland Browns did not make a mistake by letting Travis Benjamin walk. When he sped down the field against the Seattle secondary for a 74-yard touchdown, Browns fans couldn’t have been too happy. But Chargers fans—ecstatic.
- Neither Kellen Clemens or Cardale Jones was worth the price of admission. If the Chargers lose Phillip Rivers, they are in trouble.
- If Russell Wilson ever goes down, the Seahawks are going to be just fine. Trevone Boykin wasn’t bad when he got on the field last season. But Sunday night he looked a lot like the guy that captivated TCU fans during his Horned Frog days. He was mobile, he was on target with his passes, and he made plays.
“He did beautifully,” Carroll said (ESPN). “Threw the ball really well. Moved well, made some plays with his feet. Just was in really good command of what was going on.”
Via @seahawks_fanly
- Overall, Chris Carson didn’t have a great night (seven carries, 19 yards). But his ten-yard run was pretty nice as were the pair of touchdown runs. Mike Davis didn’t look bad either (eight carries, 33 yards). It will be interesting to see how much work either gets going forward.
- Second-year wide receiver Kasen Williams has one career catch to his name, but whenever you catch four balls for 119 yards, you are bound to get another shot (at least in the next preseason game).
- Teams will be keeping an eye on the Seattle running back situation, but not because they are worried about how to defend against it. They are going to be interested in who they drop. Thomas Rawls, C.J. Prosise, and Eddie Lacy are locks. But the team can’t possibly keep Alex Collins, Chris Carson, and Mike Davis.
Next up for the Chargers will be the New Orleans Saints next Sunday at 8 PM ET in Los Angeles. Seattle will be back in action Friday night when they host the Minnesota Vikings at 10 PM ET.