The empty seats didn’t matter to the chosen – the two dozen or so players who sat out because their jobs are secure. Win or lose, good or bad, they’ll be on the field when the Chargers open the season Sept. 11 in Denver.

But the ones in the helmets and the pads, the ones taking hand offs, throwing passes, chasing down returners and crashing into tackles, Thursday night in San Francisco might’ve just been one of the most important games of their lives.

There were young players like Cardale Jones, Austin Ekeler, Sean Culkin, Sam Tevi, Michael Davis and Rayshawn Jenkins trying to secure spots on the final 53-man roster. There were veterans like Dwight Lowery and Craig Mager trying to hang on.

The numbers on the scoreboard – 23-13 in San Francisco’s favor – don’t matter to them as much as the 90-to-53 cuts coming Saturday afternoon.


Chargers coach Anthony Lynn dispelled the notion that the staff had made up their minds about their roster, something he reiterated in a pregame radio interview on the team’s broadcast.

“I know there are one or two guys that are going to change our minds tonight,” Lynn said.

And, that number might even be low.

The Chargers’ struggles with their top units off the field have been a thread that’s run through losses to Seattle and New Orleans and a win against the Rams. The players with secure futures have made big plays – Philip Rivers has thrown just a single incompletion – while the players on the bubble of the roster have struggled to separate themselves from their competition.


Lynn hoped Thursday would provide answers, and at some spots, it did.

Ekeler, an undrafted running back out of the laughably generic Western State, and Kenjon Barner could be in a fight for a spot in the backfield behind Melvin Gordon and Branden Oliver. Ekeler made a key special teams tackle, burst through the line on consecutive first-down runs and found himself open in the passing game. And Barner fumbled deep in Charger territory on the game’s second possession.

Ekeler showed speed and agility as a runner and a receiver, racking up 108 total yards in the showiest performance of the game.

Jones, who is trying to convince the Chargers to keep a third quarterback, rifled a pass throw Culkin’s hands for an interception on the team’s opening drive. He also fumbled in the second quarter when he failed to feel the pressure from behind.


But in between the mistakes, Jones probably flashed enough to keep him on board as a project. He fired fastballs to Geremy Davis and Jamaal Jones. He hit undrafted free agent Mitchell Paige with a great pass and he found tight end Matt Weiser open in the middle of the field for a pair of long gains.

He finished completing 18-of-24 attempts for 158 yards while running for 26 more.

Defensive lineman like Damion Square and Darius Philon continued strong preseasons, helping hold the 49ers to just eight total yards of offense in the first quarter.

But with the fringes of the main roster on the field after that, the cracks started to surface. Lowery, who is in a fight with Tre Boston for the starting free safety spot, got badly beaten, taken off his feet with a juke move from San Francisco third-string quarterback C.J. Beathard on his way to a 62-yard score.


The Chargers’ punt coverage team, filled with guys trying to make the team like safety Dexter McCoil, gave up a 93-yard punt return when Victor Bolden went down the field untouched.

There were mistakes – lots of them. And there were successes, even in defeat.

Some will make careers; others will end them. And with that on the line, a meaningless preseason game suddenly felt a lot less meaningless.

Notable


Fifth-round pick Desmond King capped his strong preseason with a sack, a blind side hit on Beathard, his collegiate teammate at Iowa. …Davis started at cornerback opposite Trevor Williams while Mager, a former third-round pick, was relegated to special teams and back-up duty. Mager did record a sack in the second half, though. …Jenkins, the Chargers’ third-round pick, got pressure and nearly blocked a field goal in the second half. …Ryan Carrethers and Whitney Richardson both forced fumbles in the second half. …Linebacker Kyle Coleman recovered a fumble and returned an interception for a touchdown. …Mike Bercovici threw a pair of interceptions, including one in the end zone. …Linebacker James Onwualu didn’t suit up for the game. …Donovan Clark (knee) and Joshua Perry (head) were among the Chargers to suffer injuries in the preseason finale.

dan.woike@latimes.com

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