Chargers HC Brandon Staley gets heated over question following Week 2 OT loss to Titans
The Los Angeles Chargers have had a rough stretch in recent years when it comes to blown leads, losing close games late or being unable to closeout opponents. Although it happens often across the NFL in many fashions, for the Chargers it remains a talking point after how they were eliminated by the Jacksonville Jaguars in last season’s playoffs
For those who forgot, the Chargers held a 27-7 lead over the Jaguars at halftime of their AFC Wild Card matchup, only to be outscored 24-3 in the final two quarters, resulting in a 31-30 loss. After the Chargers fell to the Miami Dolphins by a score of 36-34 in another close game to start the 2023 NFL season, the murmurs began once again. The team's 27-24 overtime loss suffered at the hands of the Tennessee Titans on Sunday only magnified it all.
The Chargers got the ball first in overtime and failed to gain a yard, punting to the Titans, who proceeded to go 37 yards to setup the game-winning field goal. After the loss, it appeared the Jaguars game from last season was mentioned in postgame questioning and when it was, Chargers coach Brandon Staley was having exactly none of it.
Staley stated the Jaguars loss “hasn’t carried onto the season whatsoever,” while adding that the Jacksonville game is a “convenient storyline for you (reporters) and everyone else, but it’s not the truth.”
Sunday's loss was disappointing for the Chargers on a number of levels, especially when factoring in that their defense held running back Derrick Henry to just 3.2 yards per carry while wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was fairly quiet with just four catches for 40 yards. Aside from one 70-yard catch by Treylon Burks, no Titans wide receiver had more than 50 receiving yards in the game.
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