Brandon Staley’s Chargers’ career is dead. They won’t fire him just yet, although maybe they should. But this was the killing stroke.
This game was a disaster from start to finish. The fact that it even went to overtime is probably a tribute to the combination of quarterback Justin Herbert and his favorite target, Keenan Allen, which brings us to the only positives in this game.
Los Angeles Chargers Week 2 Slays
Keenan Allen
There weren’t a lot of bright spots in this game, but Allen is one of them. Time after time, it seemed like Joshua Kelley would run straight into the arms of a defensive lineman, setting up the need for big yardage on second and third down. Then, the Herbert to Allen connection would keep the drive moving. It really is impressive to see how reliable Allen is in his 11th year. He finished with eight catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns. It’s a stat line that feels like something he’s done a thousand times before, but it fails to capture his impact on the game.
Chargers WR Keenan Allen (13) with Chargers QB Justin Herbert (10) – BVM Sports
Tuli Tuipulotu and Joey Bosa
Tuipulotu had a breakout game in which he got his first career sack. There was almost no pressure on Ryan Tannehill all day, but when it did come, it was Tuipulotu or Joey Bosa bringing it. Bosa looked particularly impressive, recording two sacks in only 19 plays as injuries limited him.
Austin Ekeler
Ekeler should have renegotiated his contract after this game. If his absence makes this much of a difference, causing the offense to be completely one-dimensional in their productivity, then the man deserves to get paid.
Los Angeles Chargers Week 2 Bombs
Quinten Johnston/Kellen Moore
I’m not sure who is to blame for the Quinten Johnston situation, but let’s start with the numbers. The first-round draft pick was targeted a total of two times and caught one ball for seven yards. More importantly, he played fewer plays (10) than his college teammate and fellow rookie Derius Davis (11), who had one rush for 10 yards but no targets in the passing game. Despite his being a rookie, I don’t think anyone expected this minimal output from Johnston. Even the doubters would have assumed he had gotten injured if they were told he would only play ten plays in week two.
The real question here is, why is this happening? It could be that Johnston is not performing in practice or picking up the offense as expected. Or it could also be that Moore is leaving one of his potentially best offensive weapons on the bench more often than not. If I had to guess, I would think Moore is smart enough not to do that, and the issue is something on Johnston’s side. But that’s just speculation because we don’t have an answer.
Whatever the cause, though, something will have to change if the Chargers are going to be competitive this year. Wins are only going to come by out-scoring opponents. Johnston needs to have an impact for that to happen.
Joshua Kelley and Isaiah Spiller
A week after looking like the real successor to Austin Ekeler, Kelley looked like a player headed for the waiver wire. Sure, the offensive line didn’t do him any favors, but Kelley completely lacked vision and reminded viewers of Trent Richardson with his devotion to running directly into a tackle. As bad as Kelley was, it leaves one to wonder how little the coaching staff must think of Isaiah Spiller for him only to get one attempt on a day when the ground game desperately needed a spark.
Brandon Staley
We’ve saved the worst of the day for last. The contrast between Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel in comparison with Staley should put to rest anyone’s question of whether or not Staley is head coach material. Vrabel’s poise and the way his team followed his lead was so clearly superior to Staley that we might start wondering if Staley is even fit to be the head coach of a youth flag football team.
At this point, we should start wondering if Staley will even get a defensive coordinator position when his Chargers tenure comes to a close at the end of the season. His defense made one think that the Titan’s offense might just be better than the Chiefs’ this year. And one week after looking like someone headed for the pine in favor of one of the Titans’ younger QBs, Ryan Tannehill looked like a guy who might get voted into the Pro Bowl, and not even as one of the 16th alternates that usually play in the game.
Staley’s defense is a disaster and will hold the Chargers back all year. It’s time to start the “who’s the next head coach” speculation. I’ll throw former Chargers’ QB Jim Harbaugh out as an early candidate.
