As San Diegans expected, the Chargers have broadened the vocabularies of Angelenos.
Our friends to the north have learned that Chargering means to find creative ways to goof up an NFL game.
Gotcha, Angelenos said Sunday, after watching their AFC team do some creative Chargering in its seventh NFL season opener since Dean Spanos showed up uninvited.
J.C. Jackson’s inexplicable shove of a Dolphins receiver with the clock expired in the first half wasn’t the game’s only big play inside the Kroenke Dome.
But it was the most costly mental blunder, to say nothing of being the wackiest. Next-level Chargering is what it was, a veteran cornerback losing his mind on what should’ve been an inconsequential to L.A.’s 23-yard line, the ball snapped with two seconds left, the game tied and the receiver no threat to catch the ball.
The three points the Miami Dolphins extracted from Jackson’s -interference blunder would stand as decisive.
Leave it to coach Brandon Staley’s Chargers, in their first game since they blew a 27-0, second-half lead at Jacksonville in a playoff defeat, to show another inartistic way to etch the letter L.
Hollywood must love these guys. They keep things interesting.
The thing about Chargering: it takes talent to make defeat so dramatic.
Sunday, for example, the new-look offense turned in a mostly sharp game.
Success began with the deep ing threat posed by quarterback Justin Herbert. Vic Fanzio, one of the NFL’s top coordinators, responded by keeping his safeties way back. New Chargers coordinator Kellen Moore answered by unveiling a more physical ground game and clever changes in tempo.
Winning most matchups, the Chargers grinded their way down the field, over and over.
Their blockers outplayed a sturdy Dolphins front. Austin Ekeler sailed to 117 rushing yards on 7.3 per carry. Joshua Kelley, more explosive than ever, slammed for 91 yards on 16 rushes.
Dolphins defensive backs couldn’t cope with the size of Donald Parham, a 6-foot-8 ½ tight end who had his best NFL game Sunday.
Herbert never turned the ball over.
But only the Dolphins rated superlatives.
Receiver Tyreek Hill was the game’s top performer. Already an all-time great, Hill overwhelmed Jackson and several other defenders en route to 215 receving yards and two touchdowns.
Tua Tagovailoa was sensational. Full stop. He outed Herbert both from the pocket and on the move in amassing 466 yards.
Many of Tua’s completions were strikes to teammates who ran wide open against Staley’s defense.
At game’s end when the stakes and challenges went up, the left-handed Tagovailoa resembled Hall of Famer Steve Young with his pinpointed clutch es.
His two A+ throws to Hill, a long rainbow and perfect touch on an end-zone fade to the 5-foot-8, closely covered target, moved the Dolphins ahead 36-34 with 1:45 left.
Earning his huge paycheck, Fanzio won the final chess match.
Much to the relief of Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders, who missed the PAT after Miami’s go-ahead touchdown, Fanzio sprang three blitzes that all got home and secured victory.
Staley’s D cost the Chargers the win, a familiar theme in the head coach’s tenure now in its third season.
The coach stuck far too long with Jackson before benching him in the fourth quarter. All told, Miami ripped L.A.’s defense for 8.2 yards per play and 566 yards.
Unlike Staley, coach Mike McDaniel has lived up to the reputation that got him his first head coaching job.
The former longtime Kyle Shanahan offensive aide had a mostly impressive first season last year, as the Dolphins finished 11th in scoring. With their third quarterback, they scored 31 points as a 13.-5 point underdog at Buffalo in the wild-card round.
Sunday, McDaniel shone in two critical moments.
His decision to go for it on fourth-and-7 late in the second quarter, at L.A.’s 42, paid off with yet another open target.
The conversion led to a go-ahead touchdown.
Yale alum McDaniel’s timeout with 14 seconds left in the first half was a smart answer to the shrewd decision by Herbert — a reputed brainiac himself — to slide rather than go out of bounds.
Herbert was trying to leave the Dolphins with no time left to answer the ensuing field goal that tied the score, 14-14.
When the 50-yard three-pointer consumed five seconds, Staley could’ve chosen a deep squib kick to burn up several of the nine remaining seconds.
Staley opted for a touchback. Perhaps he should’ve consulted Herbert.
Showing what nine seconds can mean in the NFL, the Dolphins advanced 22 yards on a sideline to speedster Jaylen Waddle and 30 more on Jackson’s epic gaffe.
Sanders was good from 41 yards.
So despite having lost a fumble at L.A.’s 4 on a muffed first-down snap between Tua and his center, ending their first drive, the Dolphins went into halftime with a 17-14 lead.
The final score was appropriate.
The Dolphins had depantsted Staley’s D in the first half, gaining 326 yards. They overcame not having their best blocker and their best cornerback. Their offense and defense each authored an excellent finish.
Healthier and at home, the Chargers got what they deserved.
