By David Rogers. CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Limiting the Carolina Panthers to only seven first downs and a mere 159 yards of total offense, the Los Angeles Chargers pounded to a convincing, 26-3 win on Sept. 15 at Bank of America Stadium.
The Chargers jumped out to a 20-0 lead by halftime, thanks in large part to a balanced, ball control offense and punishing defense. The Chargers’ second year wide receiver Quentin Johnston seemed to shake off all criticism of his rookie year performances with three receptions on three targets, including two of them for TDs. He opened the day’s scoring with a 29-yard catch and run to paydirt in the first quarter, then got the Chargers on the board again with a 5-yard TD catch just over four minutes before halftime. The TCU alum was selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft (the 21st pick overall), but has been widely criticized for a disappointing rookie season in which he didn’t catch a TD pass until Week 10 and, season-long, only 38 receptions for 431 yards and two TDs.
In the first score of the game, the Chargers faced 3rd-and-long when QB Justin Herbert dropped back and spotted Johnston a step ahead of the Panthers’ defensive back Jaycee Horn, racing down the left sideline. Although Horn was providing close coverage, Johnston was able to come down with the perfectly placed spiral at the goal line for the TD. Of note, LA placekicker Cameron Dicker missed the PAT kick, his first after 60 consecutive good ones to open his professional career.
On Johnston’s second TD, Herbert found his man wide open in the end zone to complete a an 11-play, 65-yard drive that took 6:01 off the clock.
Charger head coach Jim Harbaugh and the offensive coordinator he brought with him, Greg Roman, are known to favor a grinding, running attack that rolls up time of possession as well as yards. In this game, they hardly disappointed.
Running back J.K. Dobbins renewed his role as the feature back in the Chargers’ run-heavy offense, rolling up 131 yards on 17 carries, including a 43-yard TD run. On the run, he took the handoff from Herbert, bounced left to the outside, outrunning all defenders down the sidelines before somersaulting into the end zone.
With his rushing total in Week 2 (131 yards), Dobbins became the first Chargers player in team history to run for 100 yards in back to back games, according to statistics kept by ESPN.
The Panthers had only a few bright moments. They didn’t earn even a first down until well into the second quarter on a nice run by Chuba Hubbard — and that was almost immediately negated when QB Bryce Young was intercepted, passing into tight coverage.
Now 0-2, Carolina will look to rebound next week on Sept. 22, at the Las Vegas Raiders. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET, on CBS. The Raiders are 1-1, after a 26-23 win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2.
The Chargers have started 2024 on a positive note, 2-0, and stay on the road for a Sept. 22 tilt against the Pittsburgh Steelers (1 p.m. kickoff, CBS). The Steelers are 2-0 after Week 2, coming off a 13-6 win over the Denver Broncos.
SCORING SUMMARY
