Chargers lose final preseason game and airtime to Padres Dodgers

The Chargers wrapped up preseason play Saturday night with a 30-23 loss to the 49ers.

Here’s a game recap from the Chargers final preseason game:

Turning Point

The first quarter or so featured lots of punts from both teams.

But with the Chargers trailing 6-3 just past the midway point of the second quarter, Marlowe Wax took matters into his own hands.

Wax, an undrafted free agent linebacker out of Syracuse, made back-to-back run stops on first and second down.

Wax then made a splash play when he recorded a strip sack that was recovered by Caleb Murphy at the 49ers 25-yard line.

Top Play

DJ Uiagalelei’s first throw Saturday night was a beauty.

Trey Lance started at quarterback for the Chargers and played three drives before Taylor Heinicke came in and played a pair of series.

After Wax’s takeaway, Uiagalelei was up next as the Chargers began in San Francisco territory.

Uiagalelei’s first throw of the night was a dime to Oronde Gadsden for a 25-yard touchdown as the Chargers found the end zone for the first time in the game.

The touchdown was the first of the preseason for both Uiagalelei and Gadsden.

Key Stat

Saturday’s preseason finale certainly felt like the fourth and final exhibition contest.

The game featured four punts in the first five minutes as each team punted on their first four possessions.

Overall, the Bolts and 49ers combined for 14 punts.

There were plenty of penalties, too, as the teams tallied 23 total accepted flags on the night.

And there were six turnovers, as the 49ers had two of them while the Bolts had four. The Chargers third turnover was a pick 6 midway through the fourth quarter.

okayyyy OG

📺 | CBS2 LA pic.twitter.com/3TDrMnFaLi

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 24, 2025