There were a lot of things that caught the eyes of some in Week 1 of the NFL, but one of the biggest surprises was the Los Angeles Chargers losing to the Arizona Cardinals 26-14. It was obvious from the beginning of the game until the end that the Cardinals were ready to play at a high level, but the Chargers never reached their intensity.
One thing that was surprising about the Chargers was their rotations on offense, and when ESPN's Mina Kimes went back to watch the game, she wanted an explanation that she could understand.
âÂÂWatching the Chargers on second screen and can someone explain to me like IâÂÂm five why theyâÂÂre rotating guards,â Kimes wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Apparently it was a real game plan, because former All-Pro tackle Mitchell Schwartz let her know in the comments what was going on.
âÂÂOne for outside zone, one for man/gap,â Schwartz wrote on X.
Article Continues BelowLooking at the result of the game, it didn't seem to do anything significant to help the Chargers in the game. If anything, it may have been more confusing for the players. On defense, players on the line rotate here and there, but it's not often that you see offensive guards doing the that unless there's some sort of injury.
Justin Herbert kept it simple on why he thinks the Chargers lost to the Cardinals, and it comes down to execution.
âÂÂWe didnâÂÂt execute on third down and we had too many turnovers⦠I think itâÂÂs just on us to go out and execute the game plan⦠ItâÂÂs on us to be able to execute the protection plan,â the Chargers quarterback said via ESPN's Kris Rhim.
The good thing is that it's just the first week of the season, and the Chargers have time to fix their mistakes.

