Well, that was a beatdown that no one saw coming. Divisional games are usually tough, competitive battles that go down to the wire. Not this one, though: the Las Vegas Raiders hosted the Los Angeles Chargers and handed them a beating that no one will forget. We're talking about a 42-point beatdown… where the Raiders scored 63. Yikes.
After the game, there were a lot of calls for Brandon Staley's head. Truth be told, those calls were being made by prominent people at halftime. However, it seems like the Chargers players are sticking up for Brandon Staley, as evidenced by Derwin James' comments about his coach to Bridget Condon.
“Derwin James on the belief in Brandon Staley “he's been there from the start with us (Chargers) and we know what we've been through…we believe in him.””
More from Chargers' James: “There are a lot of times he [Staley] makes a great call and we just mess it up as players. It's a business where we're all in it together. It's not going our way there's no need to point one finger. We're all in this together and I feel like as players we can be better and I'm pretty sure the coaches feel like they can be better too.”
That must be reassuring for Staley, but it might be too late for that sentiment. Even before this game, calls for the Chargers HC's job were already growing. Despite a stacked lineup on paper, the Chargers have been the definition of mediocrity under Staley. The defense, in particular, is under fire: despite Staley's reputation as a top defensive mind, the defense has been underwhelming, if not outright awful.
It wouldn't be a complete surprise if we hear about Brandon Staley getting fired after this game. One could argue that Sean Payton was able to keep his job after the Denver Broncos got blown out in similar fashion. However, Payton has the luxury of being in his first year with Denver. Staley is well past the honeymoon stage, and his body of work with the Chargers is not inspiring, to say the least.
Follow Us
Subscribe