CARSON, Calif. -- So much for all that rhythm and flow to the Green Bay Packers' offense.

And so much for the chance to separate themselves from the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North.

Of course, it’s hard to roll when the guys up front struggled, and the Packers couldn’t take advantage of the Vikings’ loss earlier in the day to the Kansas City Chiefs.

So the Packers (7-2) left sunny Southern California and returned to the cold reality that their lead in the division remained just one game over the Vikings (6-3) after their 26-11 collapse against the middling Los Angeles Chargers in a visiting stadium that was filled with green-and-gold-clad fans.

The Packers’ offensive line -- which came in with the highest pass-block win rate in the NFL, according to ESPN’s pass rush metrics powered by NFL Next Gen Stats -- couldn’t handle the Chargers’ edge duo of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, who each had 1.5 sacks.

And it’s not like the Chargers did it with the blitz. They sent an extra pass-rusher on just one of Rodgers’ 39 dropbacks in the game (at 2.6%, that was the lowest rate of his career). Rodgers entered the game as one of three quarterbacks averaging at least 10 yards per attempt against the blitz this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

And in a road stadium where crowd noise was not an issue, three of the Packers’ five offensive line starters had a false-start penalty in the first half.

The Packers, down 9-0 at the half, totaled just 50 yards of offense, the second-lowest in a first half with Rodgers in the game and the lowest since Week 8 of the 2009 season against the Vikings. The Packers crossed midfield on only two possessions in the first three quarters -- never getting past the Chargers’ 36 -- and didn’t get to 100 yards (they had 84) in the first three quarters.

Describe the game in two words: Missed opportunity. How often do you get to play a road game in a stadium filled with your own fans? For the Packers, it’s whenever they go to Los Angeles. But just like last year’s game against the Rams at the Coliseum, the Packers couldn’t take advantage of a friendly atmosphere. Throw in the fact that Davante Adams returned from a four-week absence from turf toe, and it’s even more shocking the Packers’ offense struggled. Adams caught a team-high seven passes but for just 41 yards.

Troubling trend: The Packers' special teams, outside of punter JK Scott and kicker Mason Crosby, have been problematic all season. But they didn’t cost the Packers a game. A case could be made that when the Chargers got a hand on Scott’s third-quarter punt that went just 8 yards, it changed the game. At the time, the Chargers had yet to score a touchdown, leading 12-0. But with a short field, they found the end zone for the first time and put the Packers in a 19-point deficit.

Troubling trend, II: Given how much the Packers have struggled covering tight ends and running backs -- see Hunter Henry, Austin Ekeler and Melvin Gordon from Sunday -- how will they ever manage to defend Carolina’s dynamic Christian McCaffrey next Sunday when the Carolina Panthers go to Lambeau Field? McCaffrey versus Packers inside linebacker Blake Martinez has mismatch written all over it.