Chargers review: Easton Stick struggles to move ball in loss to Seahawks

INGLEWOOD — The Chargers’ offensive struggles in training camp continued during their 16-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks during their exhibition opener Saturday at SoFi Stadium. Here’s what we learned, what we heard and what comes next after the Chargers failed to move the ball from start to finish:

STICK SCUFFLES

Easton Stick started at quarterback and endured a nightmarish first half in which he completed 5 of 13 passes for 32 yards with one interception and a passer rating of 14.6 in 25 plays. The Chargers gained only 71 total yards and scored only three points on Cameron Dicker’s 58-yard field goal.

“There’s work to be done, a lot of work to be done,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said in his return to an NFL sideline after spending the past nine seasons at the University of Michigan. “Now, we’ve begun, which is positive. We’ve got a place to start, but, yeah, offensively, there were some good things.

“But not nearly enough, so it’s back to work. You retool, you regroup.”

Stick completed passes of 15 and 4 yards to tight end Stone Smartt, 5 yards to tight end Luke Benson, 4 yards to running back Jaret Patterson and 4 yards to running back Elijah Dotson. His only pass downfield nearly got tight end Hayden Hurst hospitalized before it was intercepted by Coby Bryant.

Hurst was hammered to the artificial turf before he could latch onto the way-too-high pass.

Bryant’s interception set up the second of the Seahawks’ two second-quarter touchdowns. Seattle quarterback Sam Howell completed a pass for a 13-yard touchdown to tight end Brady Russell and then George Holani scored on a 10-yard touchdown run as the Seahawks led 13-0.

In addition to Stick’s interception, the Chargers went three and out on five possessions in the first half. They didn’t get their first first down until Stick scrambled for an 11-yard gain on a drive that produced Dicker’s 58-yard field goal that cut their deficit to 13-3 with 3:26 remaining in the half.

Max Duggan replaced Stick to start the third quarter.

Stick didn’t have wide receiver Joshua Palmer as his top target with Palmer sitting out Saturday’s game after suffering an injury in practice during the week. He did have wide receivers DJ Chark Jr. and Quentin Johnston available to him, but he misfired on three attempts to connect with Chark and didn’t target Johnston once.

No matter the quarterback, the Chargers struggled to move the ball in the days after it was announced Aug. 1 that starter Justin Herbert would be sidelined by a plantar fascia injury and would wear a boot for approximately two weeks. The Chargers expect Herbert to play in the season-opener Sept. 8, however.

“I don’t think we’re in a position to be comfortable,” Harbaugh said when asked if he was comfortable with the lineup of quarterbacks beyond Herbert. “We’ve just got to attack it. Improvement, I think there’s a lot to be had. Comfortable is not the word I would use. I don’t think anybody on the offensive side of the ball would be happy with that. That’s 11 guys. It’s the unit. So, back to work.”

GETTING DEFENSIVE

Harbaugh praised the play of the Chargers’ defense, which spent most of the game on the field as the Seahawks held a wide advantage in time of possession, 39:09 to 20:51. He also liked what he saw from their special teams play, especially Dicker’s kicking and JK Scott’s punting.

Dicker’s 58-yard field goal topped his regular-season best of 55 yards set last season. He also was credited with a tackle on the ensuing kickoff. Scott averaged 44.5 yards on eight punts for a net average of 43.1 yards. Scott also serves as Dicker’s holder. Josh Harris is the long snapper.

Nick Niemann led the Chargers with 12 tackles, including nine solo. He and fellow linebacker Shane Lee, an undrafted rookie from USC, combined to stuff Holani for a 1-yard loss on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line in the third quarter. Lee had five tackles, including three solo.

WHAT COMES NEXT

The Chargers play host to the Rams next Saturday at SoFi Stadium in the second of their three exhibition games. The teams also have the second of their two joint practices scheduled for Wednesday at the Chargers’ new headquarters in El Segundo. The Chargers’ third exhibition is Aug. 24 at Dallas.