The Los Angeles Chargers‘ season continues to spiral downward. Now, the team is on the brink of being eliminated from playoff contention after dropping to 5-8 overall in Week 14 courtesy of a 24-7 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Their newest letdown in Inglewood sparked the ire of fans who already wanted to see the Chargers relieve Brandon Staley of the team’s head coaching duties. This 17-point loss has some across the NFL world believing this was the “nail in the coffin.”
How Dismal Were the Chargers Against the Broncos?
This time at SoFi Stadium, the Chargers misfired on numerous opportunities — literally.
LA had 12 third-down attempts and failed to convert on all of them.
They even got aggressive and kept the offense on the field for fourth down. But out of six attempts there, the Chargers only moved the chains once.
The Chargers had the football on 15 offensive possessions. Overall, they mustered one touchdown while everything else ended in a punt, turnover on downs, or an interception.
It obviously didn’t help that franchise quarterback Justin Herbert ended up leaving the game with a finger ailment.
#Chargers QB Justin Herbert injured his finger on this play and is questionable to return.
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 10, 2023
But still, it appears that the paranoia is growing for Staley.
Brandon Staley looking around like a paranoid kid thinking his dad is gonna catch him and deliver a whoopin’ 😂
In this case, he’s looking around for Tom Telesco 👀 #BoltUp pic.twitter.com/hv5M4tlfiB
— Chris Camello (@Chris_Camello) December 11, 2023
And once again, the critics were out in full force with the “fire Staley” thoughts.
Longtime Analyst Points Out Major Flaw of Chargers’ Performance
Fans knew how bad the Staley decisions were when longtime NFL Network personality Rich Eisen pointed out something he’d never seen before.
MORE: NFL Playoff Picture Week 14
“In my 20 years at NFL Network, I’ve never seen more fourth-down decisions, play-calling, and execution backfire more for a team than the Brandon Staley Chargers,” Eisen posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Those baffling decisions attached to Staley continued to fuel the belief he’ll be out of a job Monday.
“And that is probably officially the nail in the coffin for Brandon Staley,” posted The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen.
Sports betting analyst Derek Michael is another who believes Staley “has reached the end of the line.”
Lastly, a die-hard Chargers fan is another who believes a change is on the horizon, with Kellen Moore going from offensive coordinator to Staley’s replacement.
“I really believe Brandon Staley has coached his last game and they probably will make Moore the Interim until the season is over then clean house,” the fan posted. “Another lost season and we chose Gates ceremony to have the worse game in ages.”
Staley Sounds Off on Loss and Pending Future
Staley spent his 41st birthday matching the number of losses in his first season of head coaching. But with one more defeat, he’ll be guaranteed his first sub-.500 campaign.
But will he make it to Monday in Costa Mesa? Staley was asked if he’s growing weary of his future as the team’s head coach.
“I’m just focused on getting ready for Las Vegas,” Staley said, referencing the Chargers’ next game against the Raiders. “I have a team that’s hurting in there … I’m focused on doing my job well, and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”
Even at 5-8 and in an increasingly competitive AFC Wild Card race, Staley still believes his team isn’t far from making a postseason run.
“Just been a little bit off,” Staley said. “Our guys are going to have to dig in. We’re not out of it yet.”
Yet, he finds himself enduring what he called the most difficult stretch of his coaching career. And a career that’s just increased its likelihood of seeing a resume and job status change following the latest letdown.
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