The Chargers continued their preseason slate Saturday night at SoFi Stadium.
The Bolts fell 32-18 to the Cowboys.
Here are five observations from the Chargers second preseason game:
1. Palmer finds the end zone
Joshua Palmer is in line to be the third wide receiver on the roster, especially after his performance against the Cowboys.
The second-year wide receiver hauled in three catches for 75 yards Saturday night, providing a bright spot for the Bolts on offense.
Palmer made an early impact, battling for a contested catch on the second drive that gained 41 yards. Four plays later, Palmer gained 16 yards on an out route, with the final chunk of that coming after the catch.
Palmer capped off his strong night by finding the end zone on an 18-yard screen play. The 23-year-old patiently waited for his blockers before bursting up the field and tumbling into the end zone.
Palmer had 33 catches for 353 yards and four scores as a rookie.
2. Stick shines on 3rd downs
The Chargers flipped the script from last week, opting to have quarterback Eatson Stick start the game, with Chase Daniel playing the second half. (Daniel played the first half last week, with Stick getting the second half).
Overall, Stick completed 11 of 20 passes for 134 yards and with a touchdown and an interception. His passer rating was 71.7.
The quarterback was picked off on his first throw of the game, but responded well, especially on third down.
On third-and-4, Stick hit Jalen Guyton on a crossing route to pick up 16 yards and move the chains. Later, on third-and-5, Stick fired a hitch route to Jason Moore, Jr., for six yards.
Stick later showed off his wheels on a third-and-13 situation, scampering to the left to gain 25 yards on a broken play.
3. A look at the starters
Here are some notable players who started Saturday night's game.
Michael Davis and Asante Samuel, Jr., started at outside cornerback, just as they did a week ago.
Elsewhere on defense, Chris Rumph II started at outside linebacker and showed up in the run game with a tackle for loss.
JT Woods and Raheem Layne were the starters at safety, while Jerry Tillery started up front on the defensive line.
The Chargers starting offensive line consisted of: LT Zack Bailey, LG Brenden Jaimes, C Will Clapp, RG Zion Johnson and RT Storm Norton.
Norton and Trey Pipkins III split playing time in the first half, with Norton playing 18 total snaps over three series.
Pipkins III, who started the preseason opener, played 19 total snaps Saturday night. That included the final two drives of the first half, both of which were one-play possessions for the Chargers offense (a lost fumble and a kneel down).
Browse through live action photos of the Bolts Preseason Week 2 matchup against the Cowboys at SoFi Stadium.
4. Getting some work on 4th downs
Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley put his young players in some adverse situations Saturday night, choosing to go for it twice in the second half.
On fourth-and-4 from the Cowboys 39-yard line, the Bolts kept the drive alive when Daniel found Michael Bandy for a 6-yard completion.
Later, on fourth-and-3 from the Dallas 26, Daniel threw incomplete when looking for Joe Reed.
5. Plenty of teachable moments
There were some ups and downs Saturday night.
The Chargers will look to learn from some special teams miscues Saturday night, as they allowed both a kickoff and punt return for scores.
KaVontae Turpin had both touchdowns for Dallas. He had a 98-yard kickoff return in the first quarter and an 86-yard punt return in the second quarter.
The Bolts did end the game on a positive note, with Daniel hitting Michael Bandy for a 1-yard touchdown with under 90 seconds left. Daniel's pass to Hunter Kampmoyer for the 2-point conversion was successful.
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