The Los Angeles Chargers put up plenty of numbers and pushed a very good team in the Detroit Lions in their Week 10 loss. Once again, however, it was all for naught and in a losing manner, as seems to be customary for the Chargers as a franchise. They lost 41-38 on a last-second field goal after the Lions converted a fourth down to allow them to kill the clock and win at the last second.

Justin Herbert and Keenan Allen were excellent. Herbert completed 27 of 40 passes 323 yards and four touchdowns, but also threw an interception. Keenan Allen secured 11 of those 27 receptions for 175 yards and two touchdowns. They were magnificent, but it wasn't enough to get the job done despite the masterclasses from those two. That, in turn, is going to lead to some blame spread across the team and franchise. A few areas of the team, in particular, stand out among those that warrant some blame.

Pass catchers not named Keenan Allen or Austin Ekeler

As mentioned above, Keenan Allen was absolutely terrific. But without Mike Williams around, Allen and Austin Ekeler have had to carry almost the entire pass attack on their shoulders. That was especially true in this game against the Lions. Allen had 11 receptions for 175 yards and two touchdowns on 14 targets. In addition to the 19 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown that Ekeler provided on the ground, he also chipped in four receptions for 48 yards on seven targets. Allen and Ekeler alone were responsible for 15 of Justin Herbert's 27 receptions, 21 of his 40 pass attempts, 223 of his 323 yards, and two of his four touchdowns. That's just too hefty of a burden for them to carry.

It was literally the case in this game. Keenan Allen was able to return from an injury he suffered in this game, but he was knocked out for parts of the contest while tending to a shoulder injury.

The guy that really has to step up is rookie first round pick Quentin Johnston. Johnston did do some nice things out there on Sunday; he caught his first ever NFL touchdown and caught four of four targets for 34 yards. A couple weeks ago, he set career-highs in targets (6), receptions (5), and yards (50) in a game in his young career.

These are baby steps, but the Chargers can't afford baby steps. They need someone else to step up now. No one did, and that's a big reason why they lost.

Brandon Staley

No, Brandon Staley didn't make a bad fourth down decision, though the irony of his team losing because his opponent made and converted on their fourth down decision is delicious. Instead, his defense got lit up. This has been a problem all season long for the Chargers. They ranked 23rd in EPA per drop back allowed this season heading into this tilt with the Lions. They're only going to rank worse after Jared Goff dropped 333 yards and two touchdowns on their heads.

Defense is Brandon Staley's calling card. It hasn't been very good this season and their run defense killed them in previous seasons under Staley's guidance. It's been better this season, but it got gashed by Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, who ran for 193 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries. There's no chance a team can win surrendering that type of yardage. Brandon Staley has to turn this defense around fast, or he might not get the chance to do so next season.