Los Angeles Chargers

One boneheaded penalty by Stevie Johnson might've cost the Chargers

Published Nov. 10, 2015 5:46 p.m. ET

foxsports

Stevie Johnson celebrated a fourth-quarter Chargers score four yards too early on Monday Night.

The end result -- a five-yard penalty for delay of game -- might've cost the team a win.

San Diego's offense sputtered with 1st-and-goal at the nine-yard line instead of at the four. They settled for three points instead of seven after Josh Lambo field goal.

Then, they watched the Bears capitalize on Johnson's error and win by three on a last-minute drive.

It was a rookie mistake made by a veteran receiver. And those kind of breakdowns have helped the Chargers drop to the cellar of the entire AFC.

“I was just trying to get in the end zone and got slipped up,” Johnson told the team's official website. “We were in the middle of the game, showing emotion and they called a flag."

Added Johnson: "I have to be smarter about that.”