With the Chargers trailing the Patriots, 21-13, Philip Rivers was in the midst of a two-minute drill with no timeouts when he found tailback Austin Ekeler in the middle of the field for a 13-yard gain. That pushed Los Angeles to the New England 23-yard line, but it also forced the team into a bind — the clock was ticking, and Rivers would have to set his team and spike the ball in under seven seconds to give the Chargers one final shot at the end zone.
Philip Rivers celebrated spiking the ball with 1 second left, then threw a game-ending pick
Rivers was extremely hype for himself, then threw the ball to no one in particular.
A disciplined offense hustled up to the line and snapped the ball to its veteran quarterback, who grounded the ball before time could expire. No one was happier with the result than Rivers.
The quick set and spike gave the Chargers one final opportunity to tie the game. Rivers promptly wasted it.
With just one second to go, it’s notable that not only did Rivers throw a ball none of his receivers could catch, he also threw it two yards short of the end zone. That’s a non-ideal situation for your final play of the game. Even if Antonio Gates had made a Hall of Fame play to get to the ball, he would have been swarmed before he could cross the goal line.
What this means for the Chargers: Once again, Los Angeles lost a one-possession game. That makes four such losses this season and 13 of their last 16 defeats since 2016. Los Angeles fell to 3-5, while New England stayed atop the AFC East by improving to 6-2.
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