Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley believes he’s still the right man for the job, having seen his position called into question after Thursday’s chastening 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Chargers approached their trip to Nevada in need of a boost, having lost four of their previous five games and seen franchise quarterback Justin Herbert suffer a season-ending injury last week.
Instead, they allowed the most points in their history as the Raiders ran riot at Allegiant Stadium, with Vegas quarterback Aidan O’Connell throwing for 248 yards and four touchdowns.
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Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers also threw a three-yard touchdown pass with the Raiders 49-0 up in the fourth quarter, as they issued a resounding response to their 3-0 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14.
For the Chargers, the blowout loss brought fresh questions about Staley’s future in his third season with the team, but he believes he deserves a chance to set things right.
“I know what I’ve done here for three years, and I know what I’ve put into this, and I know where we’re capable of going,” Staley said.
“I know the type of coach I am. I believe in myself.
“Games like this happen in the NFL. To every coach that’s ever coached in this league. You can look at any great coach that’s ever coached in the league.
“Sometimes games like this happen, and I don’t need to retrace history, but it’s just part of sports.”
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) December 15, 2023
The Chargers’ margin of defeat was the third-worst in their history and it saw them slump to 5-9, with the team seemingly now destined to miss the postseason for the fourth time in five years.
When it was pointed out to Staley that the manner of Thursday’s defeat was out of the ordinary, he said: “Tonight was not a normal occurrence, everything that could have gone wrong in all three phases went wrong.
“I take full responsibility and I don’t question the effort of our guys. I’ve been with most of them for years and I know them inside-out. I’m with them every single day.
“This is just a really bad game in the NFL where nothing went right and everything went right. This is the tough side of things.”
Asked directly whether he thought he would still be in charge by the end of Friday, Staley said: “I don’t know that.”
The Chargers have three tough assignments to finish the season, facing the Buffalo Bills in Week 16 before finishing with games against the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs.
Rewriting the record books #RaiderNationhttps://t.co/powX4Uc10M
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 15, 2023
