Long isn’t kicking himself over missed attempts
DETROIT — A week ago, Ty Long acknowledged that he almost threw up on the eve of his NFL debut.
On Sunday, in his second game in the league, he left Chargers fans feeling a toofamiliar queasiness.
Long, again pressed into kicking duties with Michael Badgley injured, missed field- goal attempts of 39 and 41 yards on a day when the Chargers fell to the Detroit Lions 13- 10.
“I get nervous every week,” Long said. “We all do. But I felt good.”
Long signed with the Chargers in January and won the punting job in training camp. After Badgley was hurt on the Friday before the season opener, Long punted and kicked against Indianapolis. He had done both the past two seasons for the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League.
He made a 40- yard f ield goal and three extra points and averaged 49 yards on two punts against the Colts. He was named the AFC’s special- teams player of the week. On Sunday, Long converted a f irst- quarter extra point and added a 39- yard field goal on the final play of the first half. He finished the game with a 50.5- yard average on four punts.
But the two missed fieldgoal attempts were what lingered afterward.
“One kick isn’t going to define me,” Long said. “No one’s opinion is going to def ine me because everyone else’s expectations for me are not anywhere close to what my expectations for myself are.”
Before Badgley emerged as the kicker midway through last season, the Chargers had struggled badly trying to bring stability to the position. Long is the eighth player to attempt kicks for the team since Anthony Lynn took over as head coach in 2017.
In listing all the things that went wrong Sunday, Lynn concluded his postgame opening remarks by saying, “And we gotta make our damn kicks.”
The Chargers’ final injury report before this game listed Badgley as questionable. The team isn’t sure whether he will be ready to return next weekend when the Houston Texans visit Dignity Health Sports Park. Long might have had a shot at salvaging things Sunday on the Chargers’ f inal possession, but Philip Rivers threw an interception in the end zone with the offense in field- goal range.
“Everyone’s human,” Long said. “The fans don’t realize that. They don’t accept that. It’s all right, though. No worries. That’s a great team over there. I tried to do my best. I failed. I’ll be back next week.”
Phillips hurt
The Chargers’ injuries continued to mount when safety Adrian Phillips was lost to a forearm injury in the fourth quarter. He offered no update after the game while his arm was wrapped and in a sling. Phillips has been starting in place of Derwin James, who remains out following foot surgery last month.
Defensive end Isaac Rochell did play after suffering a concussion in Week 1 against Indianapolis. Wide receiver Geremy Davis also was active after being slowed by a hamstring issue. Linebacker Jatavis Brown again was not available as he deals with an ankle problem.
The most notable name to play among those listed as questionable before Sunday was wide receiver Mike Williams. Moving on a sore knee, he f inished with three catches for 83 yards, including a 47- yarder right before the half to set up Long’s successful field goal.
“He played with a lot of heart,” Lynn said. “We didn’t know how much he could play, but he came in and he helped us today.”
Bad f inish
With all the team’s lategame success last season, several Chargers were left shaking their heads after failing to come through when it mattered most against the Lions.
“We just didn’t f inish,” running back Austin Ekeler said. “Whether it was mental errors, just not making the play that was there. It felt like we were moving the ball. I felt like we were rolling, especially in that second half, but we just kept coming up empty. You gotta score points in this league.”
The Chargers were shut out in the second half while losing two apparent touchdowns to penalties and missing two field- goal tries.
“Games in this league are usually won and lost in the last four or f ive minutes,” linebacker Thomas Davis said. “We have to do a much better job of executing in those situations. I believe in my heart that we’re going to do that.”
Etc.
The Chargers extended their NFL- leading streak of games with a touchdown to 53 in a row. … Davis f inished with 12 tackles ( six solo), giving him back- to- back games with 10- plus tackles for the f irst time since 2015. … Promoted from the practice squad Saturday, wide receiver Andre Patton made his NFL debut.
Staff writer Mike DiGiovanna contributed to this report.