Chargers Humiliated by Dolphins in Shutout Loss

On their first possession of Sunday’s game, the Chargers drove inside Miami territory before turning the ball over on downs at the Dolphins’ 23. Who knew that would be their best drive of the day?

It just kept getting worse for the Chargers, who couldn’t throw, couldn’t catch, couldn’t run and didn’t come close to making any sort of plays on defense, suffering a humiliating 37-0 road defeat. It’s the first time the Bolts were shut out since 1999 and continues a 33-year drought in Miami.

"We have no excuses," Chargers coach Mike McCoy said. "We didn't play good."

It’s their third straight loss and puts the Chargers in a precarious position in the playoff race as they head into their bye week. They drop to 5-4 on the season, now behind the Dolphins (5-3) and three other teams in the chase for the final AFC postseason spot.

By the time Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers left the game with a hand injury late in the third quarter, the Bolts were already down by 30. He sustained the injury when he was hit and fumbled, giving the Dolphins the ball inside the Chargers 15. Ryan Tannehill found Jarvis Landry for a touchdown pass on the next play and any hope of a comeback was quickly dashed.

Rivers completed 12-of-23 passes for just 138 yards. In addition to the fumble, he threw three interception and was sacked three times. Meanwhile, Tannehill had a career day, throwing for 288 yards and three scores in just three quarters of action.

"I don't know that there's many guys that can say they've been beat like this, ever, going back to 5 years old," Rivers said. "It's one of those you gotta just chalk up and move on."

Donald Brown led an anemic rushing attack for the Chargers, gaining 23 yards on four carries. The rest of the team managed just 27 yards on 14 rushes.

Malcom Floyd led the Bolts with four catches for 60 yards. Keenan Allen added 47 receiving yards on four receptions.

"We just had a poor game," Allen said. "Just one of those days. Couldn't get anything right."

The Dolphins more than doubled up the Chargers in both rushing and passing yards, outgaining them 441-178.

It’s the Bolts' eighth straight loss in Miami, going back to an epic overtime playoff win in January of 1982.