Chargers’ Quentin Johnston restarts criticism with horrific fall vs. Ravens

On By Littum

LA Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston put together one of the most disappointing rookie seasons of any 2023 first-round pick. Johnston failed to contribute much to the Chargers’ offense and even lost a game for the Chargers with a consequential drop against the Green Bay Packers .

Johnston responded to his poor rookie season in a positive way to kickstart the 2024 campaign. A two-touchdown game against the Carolina Panthers highlighted what appeared to be a corner-swinging moment for the former TCU wideout.

But on Monday night football against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12, Johnston reminded all Chargers fans why they can’t trust him. Johnston dropped perhaps the catchiest pass ever on third down with the Chargers trailing by seven in the fourth quarter.

The play would have resulted in a first try and more for the Bolts. Instead, the Chargers were forced to punt, which led to the Ravens driving down the field to make it a 14-point game. What a swing.

The The Ravens outplayed the Chargers on Monday night, and to say a single Johnston drop was why would be disingenuous. Baltimore did pretty much everything it wanted on the offensive end, while the Chargers couldn’t score a touchdown after their first drive of the game.

However, the Johnston drop represented a moment in the game when Chargers fans knew it was over. The team was still only down seven when it happened and certainly had a chance to win, but you could feel the energy of the entire fan base being drained from the building.

The Chargers would have to play a perfect game to beat the Ravens on Monday. Baltimore threw the entire kitchen sink against Los Angeles (including a fourth down from the team’s own 18-yard line that converted). The Ravens forced the Chargers to be perfect, and they weren’t.

Johnston’s drop was a microcosm of the rest of the game. It was the perfect representation and metaphor for the rest of the game. Los Angeles played a sloppy game. Baltimore was the better team. Plain and simple.

And for what it’s worth, Johnston dropped another pass on the Chargers’ final drive of the game. That fall was not that consequential, but it only feeds into the narratives.

Unfortunately for Johnston, this fall is enough to revive the narratives. And as long as he keeps making key drops in big spots, those tales won’t go away.