There are speculations out there that Brandon Staley’s job at the Los Angeles Chargers is in jeopardy following the team’s historic playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. According to Brandon, he is not aware of those speculations when asked about it via ESPN;
When asked during Wednesday’s season-ending news conference if he ever felt his job was in danger, Staley responded bluntly: “No.”
“I have a lot of confidence in how we do things here and what we’ve been able to accomplish and that’s the truth,” said Staley, who is 19-15 in two seasons with the Chargers. “Everybody that’s been around me on a day-to-day basis knows that. I am aware of the speculation … but I was not worried about that because I know what goes on here on a day-to-day basis. I know what we have in our locker room. I know what’s out on that field and I’m excited to keep going.”
The Chargers (10-7) earned their first playoff berth since 2018, achieving double-digit wins for only the second time in 13 seasons.
However, Staley, who turned 40 last month, drew criticism after he opted to play starters in the regular-season finale despite having clinched the No. 5 seed moments before kickoff. In that loss to the Broncos, star receiver Mike Williams suffered a back injury that would cause him to be unavailable for two to three weeks, ending his season barring a Super Bowl run.
Then, last Saturday in Jacksonville, the Jaguars mounted the third-largest comeback in NFL playoff history to erase a 27-point deficit and defeat the Chargers 31-30 on a 36-yard field goal as time expired.
“I wouldn’t say that was the case for a half,” Staley said when asked if the Jaguars’ Doug Pederson outcoached him. “That team that we were playing showed a lot of fight, a lot of resilience. I thought it was a high-quality game against two teams that are both young and hungry. I thought it was just a high-level game all around.”
The Bolts forced five turnovers en route to a 27-7 halftime lead, but Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdown passes in the second half as the Chargers’ offense disappeared and their defense, including edge rusher Joey Bosa, melted down.
Bosa collected three penalties for 21 yards, a career high for the seventh-year pro. In perhaps the most damaging move, Bosa threw his helmet to the ground in frustration as the Jaguars scored a touchdown, picking up a personal foul that helped Jacksonville move closer for a 2-point conversion. That allowed the Jaguars to pull within two points of the lead, paving the way for an eventual game-winning field goal.
Staley picked up Bosa’s helmet and returned it to the 27-year-old, only to watch him slam the helmet to the ground again.
When asked Tuesday why he picked up Bosa’s helmet, Staley deadpanned: “Because it was on the ground in front of me.”
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