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It’s hard to know how much stock to put in an NFL preseason game.
Twenty years ago, the Indianapolis Colts went 1-3 in the preseason and wound up winning the Super Bowl. A year later, the New York Giants did the same thing. And the following year, the Detroit Lions went 4-0 in the preseason before losing every regular-season game.
This much we know: The Chargers had precious few highlights Thursday night and a landslide of lowlights, resulting in a 41-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers at SoFi Stadium.
On designed runs, the Chargers gained 1.8 yards per carry. They converted two of 14 third downs. Their defense surrendered five touchdowns, including an 83-yard punt return.
Chargers center Tyler Biadasz went down after 49ers defensive tackle Sebastian Valdez fell on his left leg during a drill. He reportedly sustained an ACL injury.
The only two statistical categories in which they had an edge: More penalties and more punts.
“We got outplayed and we beat ourselves in all three phases,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “It’s not going to go well when those two things occur.”
Harbaugh was understandably subdued, especially on the heels of a more encouraging performance in a preseason opener at Houston. But this was a preseason game, a time to work out the many wrinkles, and the Chargers have more than three weeks before they open the regular season at home against Arizona.
Still, there are significant hurdles to overcome. For one, they have lost their center to a knee injury, likely for the season. Tyler Biadasz suffered a serious injury to his anterior cruciate ligament in practice this week, and the prognosis sounds bleak.
“Yeah, it’s an ACL,” Harbaugh confirmed after the game. “Doesn’t look promising. We don’t — we’re not putting a label on it right now, and we’ll make a decision.”
Moving into the starting center job will be rookie Jake Slaughter, a second-round pick who played that position at Florida.
Slaughter doesn’t sound overwhelmed about being thrust into the starting role.
“I don’t think I’d say we’re behind,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a catch-up period there, but I felt good about everything in that regard.”
