Last night was one to forget for the Los Angeles Chargers. They gave up 63 points to the Las Vegas Raiders and fell to 5-9 on the season. With a lot of uncertainty as is in Los Angeles, the last thing the Chargers needed was more negative attention last night. Unfortunately, Chargers RB Austin Ekeler did them no favors late in the game last night.
Austin Ekeler Celebrates First Down While Trailing 63-7
By the fourth quarter, the game was well decided as the Raiders led the Chargers 63-7. Nevertheless, both teams had to finish the game. The Los Angeles Chargers got the ball back in the fourth quarter. With just over 10 minutes to go, RB Austin Ekeler converted a meaningless first down for the Chargers. However, he celebrated it as if the game was still remotely competitive.
Ekeler went viral on social media because of this celebration. Here is what fans had to say about it:
“Maybe he’s pointing at the scoreboard congratulating them.”
“Looks like he’s redefining the term ‘fantasy football’.”
“There seems to be no sign of intelligent life anywhere.”
“Nobody accused the average player of being an intellectual.”
To add insult to injury, the Raiders got shut out by the Minnesota Vikings just four days before this game. Now, they were able to put up 63 points on the Chargers. It is safe to say that it has been a rough season in Los Angeles.
Austin Ekeler’s Impact
Ekeler had a game to forget last night. He had just nine rushing yards in last night’s blowout. As a result, several fantasy football players were not happy with his performance and mentioned as such in the tweet above.
In general, Ekeler has been struggling in 2023 compared to past years. He has just five rushing touchdowns this year while having 25 rushing touchdowns in the prior two seasons. Also, he had over 900 rushing yards in each of the last two seasons. Considering he has just 506 rushing yards this season, he is unlikely to match that this year.
If that was not enough, head coach Brandon Staley appears to be on the hot seat. While Staley believes he deserves to be the head coach, the rest of the football world may not agree. In conclusion, Ekeler’s celebration down 63-7 perfectly summed up the season that the Los Angeles Chargers are having.
Get More NFL Content
For more news and trends around the NFL, click here or follow me on Twitter @JohnGalletley.