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Chargers defense outplays vaunted Jets unit, keeping N.Y. out of end zone in road win
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Matched against a vaunted defense Monday night, the Chargers’ defenders responded by flexing their own muscles.
The Chargers sacked New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson eight times and generated all three of the game’s turnovers in a 27-6 victory at MetLife Stadium.
Joey Bosa has 2½ sacks, while fellow edge rushers Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu added two apiece.
Bosa, Derwin James Jr. and Alohi Gilman had the fumble recoveries as the Chargers improved to 4-4. The Jets fell to 4-4.
The Chargers’ most explosive moment with the ball was supplied by rookie Derius Davis, who ran back a first-quarter punt 87 yards for the game’s first points.
Chargers lean on their ferocious pass rush to defeat Jets
🏈 Chargers 27, Jets 6 — FINAL
The Chargers sacked Jets quarterback Zach Wilson eight times and forced three turnovers as part of an impressive defensive showcase that keeps their playoff aspirations in a relatively healthy shape heading into the second half of the season.
Joey Bosa finished with 2 1/2 sacks and Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu each had two sacks. Strip sacks by Bosa and Mack led to eventual Chargers touchdowns — Bosa also recovered a fumble.
The standout defensive effort made up for the Chargers’ shortcomings on offense. Justin Herbert completed 16 of 30 passes for 136 yards.
Austin Ekeler finished with 47 yards and two touchdowns in 14 carries. Keenan Allen caught eight passes for 77 yards and passed 10,000 career receiving yards. Cameron Dicker kicked field goals of 38 and 55 yards.
Wilson completed 33 of 49 passes for 263 yards amid near-constant pressure.
Khalil Mack forces fumble and Chargers tack on another TD
🏈 Chargers 27, Jets 6 — 3:22 left in the fourth quarter
Austin Ekeler scored on a two-yard run for his second touchdown after the Chargers capitalized on another Jets turnover instigated by the L.A. pass rush.
Khalil Mack strip sacked Jets quarterback Zach Wilson, and Alohi Gilman picked up the ball, returning it 48 yards before he was knocked out of bounds at the Jets’ two-yard line. It was Mack’s second sack and the Chargers’ seventh sack of the game.
Chargers extend their lead on a Cameron Dicker field goal
🏈 Chargers 20, Jets 6 — 9:18 left in the fourth quarter
Justin Herbert and the Chargers finally found some life on offense and Cameron Dicker rewarded their efforts with a 38-yard field goal.
The 16-play, 68-yard drive took 8:17 off the clock and featured four third-down conversions. Keenan Allen pulled the Chargers into field-goal range on a spectacular, one-handed catch on third down, leaping and spinning as he hauled in a 23-yard pass.
The catch also gave Allen more than 10,000 receiving yards in his NFL career. Allen has eight receptions for 77 yards in the game.
Joey Bosa continues to be a sack machine for Chargers
🏈 Chargers 17, Jets 6 — End of the third quarter
The Jets were on the verge of another field-goal attempt until a false-start penalty coupled with Joey Bosa sacking Zach Wilson on the third down — again — pushed the Jets into their sixth punt of the game.
A 13-yard reception by Garrett Wilson and a 14-yard pass interference penalty by Derwin James Jr. moved the Jets into Chargers territory before Bosa raised his sack total to 2 1/2. The Chargers have sacked Wilson five times.
But how will Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense respond?
Justin Herbert and the Chargers are struggling
🏈 Chargers 17, Jets 6 — 8:24 left in the third quarter
The Chargers’ first possession of the second half went nowhere when Austin Ekeler dropped a catchable pass on third down.
The Chargers have six three-and-outs on their nine possessions tonight.
Chargers’ back-to-back sacks on Zach Wilson limit Jets to field goal
🏈 Chargers 17, Jets 6 — 9:52 left in the third quarter
Greg Zuerlein kicked a 46-yard field goal at the end of the Jets’ opening possession of the second half and cut into the Chargers’ lead.
The drive could have potentially resulted in more for the Jets had it not been for the heroics of the Chargers pass rush. Khalil Mack and Morgan Fox/Joey Bosa sacked Zach Wilson on consecutive plays to halt the nine-play, 48-yard drive.
Cameron Dicker’s 55-yard field goal gives Chargers 17-3 halftime lead
🏈 Chargers 17, Jets 3 — HALFTIME
Cameron Dicker kicked a 55-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to give the Chargers a two-touchdown lead at the break.
The field goal capped a three-play drive that just managed to inch into field-goal range after Justin Herbert completed passes of 12 and nine yards to Keenan Allen.
The field goal was a much-needed bright spot for a Chargers offense that struggled for yardage in the first half as the Chargers capitalized on an 87-yard punt return and a mid-field fumble recovery to spur their scoring in a game that has featured 10 punts.
Herbert has completed 10 of 21 passes for 87 yards. Austin Ekeler has 26 yards and a touchdown in seven carries and Keenan Allen has four catches for 38 yards.
Jets quarterback Zach Wilson has completed 14 of 23 passes for 81 yards against a Chargers defense that forced two fumbles — the second of which (a Joey Bosa strip sack and recovery) led to a touchdown.
The Chargers have 108 yards of total offense to the Jets’ 104. Chargers rookie Derius Davis, who scored on an 87-yard punt return in the first quarter, has 104 yards on punt returns.
Jets on the scoreboard with Greg Zuerlein field goal
🏈 Chargers 14, Jets 3 — 5:57 left in the second quarter
Greg Zuerlein kicked a 47-yard field goal to cap a seven-play, 26-yard drive by the Jets.
The last two Chargers possessions ended in punts. Jets defensive end John Franklin-Myers sacked Justin Herbert on third down to end the Chargers’ last drive.
Jets turnovers (forced by the Chargers defense) and Derius Davis’ 87-yard punt return have helped mask a not-so-great Chargers offense that hasn’t really shown much outside of a couple impressive Austin Ekeler plays.
Herbert has completed six of 12 passes for 53 yards. The Chargers have been held to 75 total yards of offense.
Chargers extend lead on Austin Ekeler touchdown run
🏈 Chargers 14, Jets 0 — 2:45 left in the first quarter
Austin Ekeler scored on a one-yard run to extend the Chargers’ lead. Ekeler set up his touchdown with a spectacular 20-yard run down the sideline three plays earlier.
The eight-play, 50-yard drive came after Joey Bosa strip sacked Jets quarterback Zach Wilson and recovered the fumble. A 17-yard pass from Justin Herbert to Ekeler helped fuel the drive.
Joey Bosa strip sacks Zach Wilson and recovers fumble
🏈 Chargers 7, Jets 0 — 5:51 left in the first quarter
Joey Bosa stripped the ball away from New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson and recovered the fumble for the Chargers’ second fumble recovery of the night.
Justin Herbert and the Chargers started their third possession of the game at the 50-yard line.
Chargers safety Derwin James Jr. recovers Jets fumble
🏈 Chargers 7, Jets 0 — 10:55 left in the first quarter
Derwin James Jr. recovered a fumble by Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson after safety Alohi Gilman stripped away the ball. James secured the ball before he slid out of bounds, giving the Chargers the ball at their 30-yard line.
Derius Davis scores on an 87-yard punt return for Chargers
🏈 Chargers 7, Jets 0 — 13:15 left in the first quarter
Rookie Derius Davis scored on a thrilling, 87-yard punt return in front of a stunned crowd at MetLife Stadium to give the Chargers an early lead. It was the first special teams touchdown of the season for the Chargers.
The touchdown came after the Chargers’ defense forced Zach Wilson and the Jets to go three-and-out on their first possession. The Chargers went three-and-out on their game-opening possession after a couple of incomplete passes from Justin Herbert.
Like a broken record, Chargers’ Keenan Allen nears yet another receiving mark
He had just left Minnesota’s defense in shambles, catching 18 passes for 215 yards on a day when he also threw for a touchdown.
No player in NFL history had produced such a performance, and now Keenan Allen was walking through a concrete hallway deep inside U.S. Bank Stadium to meet with the media.
Along the way, a member of the Chargers’ public-relations staff was briefing Allen on all the other records he had set, a few of them stunning while others were more, well, obscure.
“You know,” Allen said, interrupting, “some of these sound made up.”
Indeed, chronicling sports achievement these days can become a little convoluted, with so many feats being framed as historic, if not once-in-forever.
Chargers vs. Jets inactives for Monday night
Here are the players who will not be suiting up for the Chargers and New York Jets tonight at MetLife Stadium:
Chargers-Jets a prime-time example of playoff race desperation in the AFC
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The lights will be bright, the stage enormous and the vibe electric as the Chargers make their third prime-time appearance in four games.
Monday night. At the New York Jets. ESPN/ABC.
Bolt Up, baby! Ah, hello, Bolt Up, maybe?
“It doesn’t matter like it used to,” 11th-year wide receiver Keenan Allen said. “You used to get psyched up for it knowing it was a big game, the only game on TV and all that. Now, it’s just another game.”
But, Keenan, you’ll have the eyes of the entire NFL!
Chargers vs. Jets matchups: How to watch, start time and prediction
Breaking down how the Chargers (3-4) and the New York Jets (4-3) match up heading into their game Monday at 5:15 p.m. PST in East Rutherford, N.J. The game will be shown on ABC and ESPN.
When Chargers have the ball
At home this season, the New York Jets have beaten Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts and had Patrick Mahomes scrambling until the final two minutes. Of course, they also lost to Mac Jones at MetLife Stadium, so there’s reason to still be a bit skeptical. In those victories over Buffalo and Philadelphia, the Jets’ defense generated eight takeaways, a haul that included three interceptions each of Allen and Hurts.
