The Los Angeles Chargers suffered another back-breaking loss Sunday to the AFC West rival and defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was slicing and dicing the Chargers secondary, tossing 424 yards and four touchdowns.
While there is no shame in losing to the defending champs, the Chargers seem to invent ways to lose every week. Los Angeles never got their offense going and eventually wilted under the pressure at Arrowhead, not to mention in front of recording artist Taylor Swift, but I digress.
Defensively, the Chargers are a mess and have shown an inability to stop the pass, which leaves them at 2-4, searching for answers for what appears to be the beginning of a lost season for the promising Chargers.
Compounding issues, franchise signal-caller Justin Herbert has a broken finger on his non-throwing hand, and it appears to be impacting the QB’s play, even after their bye week. If Herbert and the Chargers can’t fix what ails them quickly, the season will spiral out of control.
Chargers fans have felt pain and agony over the years, but during the Brandon Staley/Dean Spanos regime, the losses have piled up in strange ways, leaving fans frustrated and bewildered. Staley is on the hot seat, and the heat will only intensify if Los Angeles can’t turn their season around.
From the current NFL standings to team depth charts to coverage of every game in the 18-week NFL schedule, we have all the news from around the league to keep you up to speed!
What Are Los Angeles Chargers Fans Saying About Brandon Staley?
Social media can be a delightful tapestry of venom, with NFL fans spitting their post-game outrage. Chargers fans have had many such moments throughout Staley’s career, and Sunday was no different. Some fans called for the head coach’s firing, blatantly stating that if the Chargers didn’t fire Staley, Los Angeles would remain the laughingstock of the NFL.
Logically there is no reason to keep Brandon Staley on as head coach. The 3rd and 15th play is all the evidence you need to fire him. If they keep Staley after this game the Chargers will continue to be the laughing stock of the NFL
— Tha_Frederation △⃒⃘⚡️ (@Tha_Frederation) October 22, 2023
The hopeless feeling doesn’t end there. Chargers fans reviewed the franchise’s history and evaluated the current 2023 team and head coach to Chargers teams gone by. Some went as far as to say this is the worst team they can recall — which seems like hyperbole — while stating Staley is the worst coach in the last 20 years — which may not be.
MORE: Los Angeles Chargers Depth Chart
Believe it or not, Staley has a winning record as an NFL head coach. The Chargers head coach is 21-19 through his first 40 games. The Chargers advanced to the playoffs during Staley’s second season but lost in heartbreaking fashion. Herbert and the Chargers’ offense were firing on all cylinders during the first half, leading 27-0, but Los Angeles fell apart and the Jacksonville Jaguars stormed back for a 31-30 victory.
The playoff loss exemplified the Staley era, an unimaginable loss that stains an otherwise solid career.
Did Staley Take the Blame Following the Loss to the Kansas City Chiefs?
Not that he had any alternative, but Staley did take responsibility for the loss following the game. The Chargers head coach stated, “We didn’t do a good enough job getting our team ready to play. We did not execute our pass rush or pass coverage.”
When pushed further on where the blame lies, Staley fell on the metaphorical sword.
“The blame is mine, no one else’s. So I just got to do a better job of getting us off to a good start to the game, and that is not what happened.”
Herbert, meanwhile, did not disagree with the lack of execution. “They’re a good defense,” the Chargers QB said. “We did our best to move the ball. We just didn’t execute enough.”
Herbert was sacked five times by the league’s No. 2 scoring defense and had 259 yards passing with a touchdown and two picks.