The Los Angeles Chargers did nothing right in the first half of their AFC Divisional game against the New England Patriots, but no play was more backbreaking that Desmond King’s muffed punt late in the first half.
King, a standout return man all season for the Chargers, was unable to catch the punt late in the second quarter Sunday with his team already behind 28-7. Initially, it was ruled that the football went out of bounds before anyone could recover, but the video evidence showed that New England’s Albert McClellan clearly had the ball before it touched the white line.
Desmond King fumble le punt, et les #GoPats récupèrent ! pic.twitter.com/lfjS9dUU7z
— NFL France (@FirstDownFR) January 13, 2019
The Patriots went on to make Los Angeles pay, turning the short field into another touchdown to go up 35-7 and essentially kill off the game before it was even halftime.
Early on, it looked like the Chargers had a chance with plays like this. New England buried them very quickly after that, and this was just the backbreaking blow.
