The Bolts dropped a 13-9 contest to the Rams on Saturday evening at SoFi Stadium.
The Chargers will play their third and final exhibition game on Saturday in Dallas.
Here are five takeaways from the Chargers second preseason game:
1. Harbaugh on fixable miscues
The end result was the same for the Chargers as they dropped their second straight game of preseason play.
A reminder that the outcome of these game hardly matters as they rarely give an indication of how a team will play come September.
But Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh's message was clear Saturday night in his postgame press conference.
"The effort is there, the competitiveness is there," Harbaugh said. "It's just fixable things."
"Those things we can control ... just be much better at that," Harbaugh later added.
Offensively, the unit showed progress from a week ago, especially on third downs.
Yet a pair of costly turnovers, including a fumbled snap just one yard from the end zone, dampened what was overall a solid day.
"We get all the way down to the 1 and we fumble the snap and have a turnover in the red zone," Harbaugh said. "Those are the kind of things you can't do. You have to control those controllables."
Easton Stick, who fumbled the aforementioned snap and also threw an interception, summed up the night.
"We did take a step, we got better ... but there's a lot of room out there for us to grow," Stick said.
He later added: "We've got to get our of our own way a little bit and obviously it starts with me being cleaner."
Simi Fehoko said: "Obviously, there's some ups and downs, we just got to keep working on getting more consistent. But we did have good spots. I think we have to continue growing and I think we'll be alright."
Defensively, the Bolts played well again except for a few plays here or there. One of them was allowing a 47-yard touchdown pass moments after the Bolts had taken the lead.
Harbaugh also mentioned taking halftime adjustments and applying them to the field, something he felt was missing right away in the third quarter.
Overall, Harbaugh noted he wants to see continued improvement from his squad in the next week before the preseason finale in Dallas.
"All in all, a story of fixable things and things we can control," Harbaugh said. "Now it's up to us. I don't want any long faces or woe-is-me type of stuff.
"We have to lock in on those details," Harbaugh added.
2. Vidal sparks run game
The Bolts nearly eclipsed the 100-yard mark Saturday night, rushing for 99 yards as a team on 27 attempts.
Rookie Kimani Vidal led the way with 49 yards on 11 carries, good for an average of 4.5 yards per rush.
Vidal said he was chomping at the bit to play after sitting out of the preseason opener.
"Oh yeah, very fired up," Vidal said. "I was kind of itching, especially after not playing last week, just being able to see everything.
"It was just good to be out there on the field and play," Vidal added.
The sixth-round rookie took his first carry for 13 yards before powering his way for eight yards on the next play.
Harbaugh was asked what stood out about Vidal.
"His vision," Harbaugh said. "He was running low, getting his pads down, showed some elusiveness, showed being able to push the pile.
"We were able to get some movement up front, I thought that was improved as well," Harbaugh added.
Browse through live action photos of the Bolts Preseason Week 2 matchup against the Rams at SoFi Stadium.
3. Defense gets 2 takeaways
The Bolts notched a pair of takeaways Saturday night against the Rams.
Deane Leonard notched the first one when he picked off Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett in the end zone.
Leonard baited Bennett into the throw by faking as if he was going to cover a receiver near the goal line before doubling back and heading for the back of the end zone.
The Chargers also forced Bennett into a fumble when linebacker Shaq Quarterman made a hustle play after initially getting knocked down on a pass rush. Fellow linebacker Shane Lee pounced on the loose ball.
The Bolts registered seven passes defensed for the second straight week.
"They've done a great job teaching us the defense, allowing us to play fast and free," Leonard said. "They're just using everybody, using our help and keeping our leverage."
Harbaugh gave his assessment of the overall defense.
"Pleased with the progress. We were better on third downs defensively," Harbaugh said. "I thought the coverage was really good at times, we had some PBUs. Big fourth-down stops."
"Had an interception in the end zone and then had a turnover right when we needed it," Harbaugh added.
4. Johnston draws praise
The stat sheet will show that Quentin Johnston only tallied one reception for 19 yards in the second preseason game.
But his impact went far beyond those numbers.
The second-year wide receiver drew an illegal contact penalty late in the first quarter on a nifty double move and nearly hauled in deep touchdown pass.
"Not only did he draw the illegal contact but he was open by a good amount of steps," Harbaugh said.
Johnston later caught his pass on a comeback route on the left sideline on a pass from Luis Perez, and nearly made a highlight-reel play on the opposite sideline but couldn't get his second foot down in town.
Johnston drew Harbaugh's praise Saturday night.
"I've seen good, steady improvement," Harbaugh said. "When he's playing his technique and doing his job, it looks the way it should."
5. Tart flashes up front
The newest member of the Chargers made a good impression in his debut.
The Bolts signed defensive lineman Teair Tart on Thursday, and the five-year vet wasted no time getting on the field against the Rams.
"I was just trying to soak in as much information as possible and go out there and do what the coaches asked of me," Tart said.
Tart made a pair of splash plays Saturday, both of which came in the run game. He was credited with one tackle for loss, which came in the fourth quarter.
Tart said he's looking to bring "violence, physicality and leadership" to the trenches for the Bolts.
