Chargers defeat Titans, but Joe Alt’s ankle injury raises concerns
NASHVILLE — The Chargers won the battle but lost the Warrior.
They held their own against the Tennessee Titans 27-20but saw their great left tackle Joe Alt suffer from the same injured ankle that sidelined him earlier this season.
It was a troubling and ominous blow on Sunday for a franchise that is in a constant state of shuffling its offensive line and unable to adequately protect quarterback Justin Herbert. Before they lost Alt, the Chargers lost right tackle Bobby Hart to what they described as a hip injury (but it appeared to be a leg injury).
On a cold, overcast day, the Chargers had enough to pull past a one-win Titans team — the Chargers (6-3) were a 9-point favorite — but will face tougher competition in the second half of the season. The Titans haven’t won at home since last November 4.
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh helps offensive tackle Bobby Hart off the field in the first half.
(John Ames/Associated Press)
Herbert, who ran for 62 yards in a Week 8 win over Minnesota, once again provided the bulk of the Chargers’ running game. He led all rushers with 57 yards on nine carries, including a one-yard touchdown.
The Giants fired coach Brian Callahan last month after the team started 1-5, and hired interim coach Mike McCoy, who was the head coach of the San Diego Chargers from 2013-16.
The Chargers took a huge hit in the second quarter when Alt suffered an ankle injury, the same ankle that caused him to miss three games earlier this season. Alt, the offensive line’s best player, returned for the Week 8 game against Minnesota and was a noticeable presence both blocking the run and protecting Herbert’s blind side.
Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston catches a touchdown pass next to Tennessee Titans linebacker Jalen Armor-Davis during the first half on Sunday.
(John Ames/Associated Press)
But on Sunday, he was felled by 285-pounder Jehad Ward, who was blocked in the back of Alt’s legs. Alt sat on the turf for a few minutes, surrounded by Chargers medical staff, before a cart rolled onto the field for takeoff.
It was the latest setback for their beleaguered offensive line this season, and a sign that Herbert will remain the most battered and harassed quarterback in the league this season.
Even though the Giants were without defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, their best player, Herbert was still under near-constant pressure.
Herbert threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half, although his first throw was very poor. It was straight into the arms of Tennessee linebacker Cody Barton, who turned the visitors’ second play from scrimmage into a 24-yard scoring drive from six.
As he does almost every week, Herbert made some big gains with his feet. He had a 39-yard scramble in the second quarter, came out in the fourth quarter and scored his first rushing touchdown of the season, sliding in from a yard out. That capped off a 15-play, nine-minute, 99-yard response to a goal-line stand.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was sacked by Tennessee Titans quarterback Jehad Ward during the second half on Sunday.
(George Walker IV/Associated Press)
The Giants (1-8), who had trouble moving the ball in the red zone, scored their second touchdown of the half on a 67-yard punt return by rookie Shemir Dike, who leads the NFL in all-purpose yards.
Those issues were on display in the red zone in the third quarter, when the Titans made four plays in the 10-minute mark and couldn’t score, including third-and-4 downs of one.
Anchoring the middle of the Chargers’ defense was Diane Henley, playing two days after his older brother was shot to death. After suffering an injury in the first half, the third-year midfielder knelt down, raised his palms to the sky and extended his hands in prayer.
Edge rusher Odafe Oweh had a pair of sacks, bringing his total to four in four games since he was traded to the Chargers by Baltimore last month.