Quentin Johnston’s dropped pass costly in Chargers’ loss to Packers: ‘Just a lack of concentration’

In a matter of one week, Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston went from super hero to super villain after his game-ending dropped pass against the Packers. 

With a minute left to play in Green Bay, the rookie was wide open near the sideline for what either could have been a game-winning touchdown or setting up Los Angeles in field goal range to tie the game.

Quarterback Justin Herbert placed the ball perfectly for the first-round pick. It was a pass so perfectly placed that one could practically taste the victory. But to no avail, Johnston dropped the pass, and the game came to a close a play after. 

“Got a pass when the ball was thrown to me, should’ve caught it. No excuse for it. Lack of concentration on my part,” Johnston said. “I feel like the game could’ve definitely went the other way if I would’ve caught it that ball. Just a lack of concentration.”

Just a week before, the rookie scored his first career touchdown to help tie the game against the Lions. The 41-38 loss to the Lions no longer looked so bad after Los Angeles suffered a 23-20 loss to the Packers. Chargers fans were angry—and rightly so. 

Following the humiliating loss, social media was quick to criticize Johnston for the dropped pass in the final minutes of yet another close game. Some speculated that Johnston was a bust first-rounder because he has yet to clean up the drops that were an issue coming out of TCU.

Despite the harsh criticism from NFL fans, head coach Brandon Staley defended his player. 

“We’re going to keep going back to him. He’s going to be an outstanding player. We love coaching him. Justin’s going to continue going to him. The more he plays, the more he’s going to be able to knock down opportunities like that.”

Although the camaraderie is sweet, the Chargers’ playoff hopes continue to grow dim as the season endures. Nevertheless, Staley insisted that the team needs to move forward. 

“This is a tough one. We have to put it behind us, Staley said. “We have AFC games in front of us. We have to put our focus to Baltimore.”

But is this the right attitude to have? The Chargers have lost five games this season by three points or fewer. Staley has emphasized getting a message across to the players every week, but the results say otherwise.