The Chargers came up short Sunday with a 17-10 loss to the Chiefs at SoFi Stadium.

The Bolts are now 2-2 and have a bye in Week 5.

Here are five takeaways from Week 4:

1. Another close loss to the Chiefs

The Chargers have nearly roughly two dozen players who weren't on the roster a year ago.

Others on the team have been with the Bolts for a few years or longer.

But the feeling of frustration was the same Sunday in the postgame locker room for every player no matter how long they've worn powder blue.

Another close game against the Chiefs, but another similar result against their division rivals.

"We had a chance to do something special and weren't able to hold onto the rope when it mattered the most," Khalil Mack said.

Asante Samuel, Jr. added: "We prepare throughout the offseason, not just for them, but we know we have to beat them to get to where we're going. It's definitely frustrating."

The Bolts seven-point loss Sunday was the sixth time in the pasts seven matchups that it had been a one-score game.

Unfortunately for the Chargers, the majority of those contests haven't gone their way.

The Bolts have now lost six straight games to the Chiefs and have seen Kansas City win 11 straight road games in the series.

Jim Harbaugh has now played and coached in this rivalry with the Bolts.

"We feel like we're close," Harbaugh said.

The Chargers Head Coach had nothing but praise for his team after a hard-fought affair that saw the Bolts down four first-round picks and multiple starters on both sides of the ball.

"Respect for the Chiefs. Respect for our team — the way the played, the way they fought. They kept playing," Harbaugh said. "Justin [Herbert] is doing everything humanly possible and then some … felt the same for the other 47 guys that were dressed on this game."

The Chargers now sit at 2-2 and have lost two straight games following a 2-0 start.

The fact that the Bolts missed a chance to move into first place early in the 2024 season wore on players' minds in the locker room.

Especially because they were right there once again against a team that has won three Super Bowls in the past five years.

"The game was within our control and we made a lot of self-inflicted wounds to cause us to not win the game," Trey Pipkins III said.

Tuli Tuipulotu added: "We just have to go out there and finish. Nothing more than just that."

Mack added the last word after his team came agonizingly close once again.

"There's a lot of football we can be proud of. But that doesn't matter," Mack said. "There's no moral victories, especially for me. I'm looking to dominate [people] on Sundays."

2. Harbaugh talks timeouts

Early on in his postgame press conference, Harbaugh shouldered responsibility for the loss.

"I don't like to lose … but I wish I could have done better for our guys," Harbaugh said.

When the Chiefs got the ball back with a 17-10 lead with only three minutes and 15 seconds left on the clock, the Chargers only had one timeout.

The Chargers either used or lost a timeout earlier in the half, and Harbaugh put the onus on himself to be better.

With just under nine minutes left in the third quarter, the Chiefs converted on a third-and-11 pass for a first down.

Harbaugh challenged the call but lost, meaning the Bolts burned their first timeout.

"I thought the ball had touched the ground and the one hand come off … felt like it was a big enough play to challenge and get ourselves organized on defense," Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh noted that the Chargers were having headset communication issues and he wanted to try and get those sorted out during the break while also trying to get the ball back on offense with a successful challenge.

The Bolts later faced third-and-5 at the Chiefs 7-yard line early in the fourth quarter.

Herbert hit Joshua Palmer for four yards as the receiver tumbled to the ground untouched before trying to scoot his way for the first down.

He came up a yard short to bring up fourth-and-1 at the 3 with the game tied at 10.

With the play clock winding down, Harbaugh had made the decision to go for it but said he called a timeout to make sure the Bolts called the play they wanted.

Only after he called the timeout did he said he saw replays where it looked like Palmer may have gotten the first down.

"In hindsight, I wish I would have challenged it in lieu of a timeout," said Harbaugh, who added that a lost challenge would have been the same result as calling a timeout.

Herbert's fourth-down pass was incomplete and the Chargers never got into the red zone again.

The Bolts were also called for a season-high nine penalties, including seven on offense.

Harbaugh took responsibility for the numerous flags.

"Me specifically? The pre-snap penalties, we have to be better," Harbaugh said. "I look at that as coaching. That's something I can do better with."

Harbaugh later added: "I look at that as my responsibility."

3. Defense shines again

One thing is clear four games into the 2024 season: the Chargers have a good defense.

"A great performance," Harbaugh said after the unit notched two takeaways and sacked Patrick Mahomes three times.

Bud Dupree had a pair of sacks while Tarheeb Still and Troy Dye split a sack. Kristian Fulton had an interception while Elijah Molden recovered a fumble forced by Tuli Tuipulotu.

Kansas City had 335 yards of total offense and scored just 17 points on 11 offensive drives.

Even so, Mack and Morgan Fox said the end result was irritating.

"Wasn't good enough down the stretch," Mack said. "We've got to go out as players and hold ourselves to a higher standard."

Fox added: "We all just wish we would have made a couple more [plays]."

Mahomes finished with 245 passing yards with one touchdown (a 54-yarder) and an interception.

Mack said the game had a different feel where Mahomes and Co. had to seemingly grind it out a bit more than the explosive aerial attacks they showcased in recent years.

"It seemed like it was a little tougher for them," Mack said.

Sure enough, Kansas City's 17 points were the lowest total in Mahomes' 11 starts against the Bolts. The Chiefs had scored at least 23 points in the previous 10 games.

4. Offense struggles after hot start

The Bolts opening drive went to perfection as the offense marched 74 yards in 10 plays for an early 7-0 lead.

Justin Herbert found Ladd McConkey for a 7-yard touchdown, the rookie wide receiver's second score of the season.

It was a slog after that, however, as the Bolts managed just 23 yards on their next 17 first-half plays.

Fulton's interception helped set up three more points as Cameron Dicker hit a 50-yard field goal for a 10-0 advantage in the first quarter. But the Bolts actually lost 12 yards on their four offense plays on that drive.

The Chargers finished the game with 224 yards on 53 plays. But their biggest bug-a-boo were penalties as the offense was called for nine total penalties, two of which were declined.

"Anytime we stayed ahead of the sticks and weren't getting penalties, we were driving the ball," Pipkins said. "That's where the frustration comes from. That's on us."

The Chargers were penalty-free on their first possession of the game. But they incurred at least one flag on five of their next six possessions to make the game much tougher than it needed to be.

Herbert started despite a high ankle sprain and played well early again. But he was hit and harassed multiple times as they game went on against a stout Chiefs defense.

"I know that anybody else in that locker room would do it as well," Herbert said. "Everyone's not feeling great, it's the NFL, it's a brutal game.

"But I know I left everything I had out there," Herbert added. "I felt comfortable, our communication with the training staff has been great all week, but I know that all those guys in the locker room would do the same thing."

The Bolts were without their starting offensive tackles in Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt and went with the five-man starting group, from left to right, of Jamaree Salyer, Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, Sam Mustipher and Pipkins.

"At the of the day, we have to protect him," Johnson said. "We can't let him get hit that many times. He's a tough guy and he's going to do his thing."

Harbaugh added: "We've got to get him just a little bit more time. Some of the throws he made, the plays he made, we're incredible."

The Chargers were shut out for the second straight week in the second half as the Bolts converted on just four of 13 tries on third downs.

"It's just on us," Herbert said. "Executing on third down, or fourth down if we're going for it.

"It's converting in the red zone and making sure we're pushing the ball, limiting those penalties," Herbert added. "If you can put that together, that's the offense we want to play."

Salyer added: "I think just in general, offense and football is such a momentum and rhythm game that when you have penalties, the false starts, whatever it is, it hurts us and they start to stack."

J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards combined for 51 rushing yards on 20 total carries.

"We aren't making the plays. We just have to make the plays," Dobbins said.

5. Much-needed bye week

Fox succinctly summed up the locker room's thoughts on having a Week 5 bye.

"At first I definitely thought it was too early," Fox said. "But now I think with what's going on with the team that it's just right. Perfect timing for guys to get right."

As mentioned above, Slater (pectoral) and Alt (knee) did not play Sunday due to injuries. Joey Bosa (hip) was also inactive, as was Junior Colson, who missed his second straight game with a hamstring issue.

Elsewhere on the depth chart, starting slot cornerback Ja'Sir Taylor (fibula) and Deane Leonard (hamstring) did not play Sunday.

That list obviously doesn't include Herbert, who has been dealing with an ankle issue for a few weeks, or others who are dealing with bumps are bruises a month into the season.

"Guys can get their bodies back, get healthy again," Johnson said.

The Chargers have back-to-back road games in Week 6 (Denver) and Week 7 (Arizona) before returning home in Week 8 to face New Orleans.

"Got to look at how respond from here," Harbaugh said. "It will be like starting the season over again when we come back."

"We've got to make a big push," Mack said. "We can't really think about this as a bye week. Got to think about it as a work week."