What happened to the Chargers offense in the second half vs. the 49ers?
New York TimesAfter a promising start, the Chargers offense stumbled in the second half of a 22-16 loss to the 49ers on Sunday night. The Chargers offense had beaten the 49ers for chunk gains in the first half against man coverage, like on Joshua Palmer’s 25-yard reception on a wheel route down the left sideline in the first quarter. On the first drive of the second half, the Chargers attacked a two-high shell from the 49ers and opened up a hole for a 12-yard Austin Ekeler gain. On the first play of the ensuing drive, the 49ers came out in a two-high shell nickel package — very similar to the formation on Ekeler’s 12-yard run, just with Ward, circled in yellow, shifted to the right side instead of the left to match the strength of the Chargers’ offensive formation. The Chargers ran only two play-action passes on Herbert’s nine early-down dropbacks in the second half, according to TruMedia.