Nobody said being the head coach of an NFL team was easy. But it certainly isn’t as hard as Brandon Staley makes it look.
The Los Angeles Chargers had nothing to play for in Week 18. Their fifth seed was secure and their divisional aspirations ended weeks ago. Staley could have followed the lead of New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll and sat the Chargers’ starters in a meaningless football game.
Nobody would have thought any less of him. Now, it’s hard not to.
Los Angeles played its starters for much of their game against the Denver Broncos. A game they LOST 31-28, by the way. During said game, Mike Williams, the buoy of this not-so-buoyant Chargers offense left with what would later be revealed as a back fracture. His season could very well be over.
Don’t bet on a Chargers Super Bowl
Los Angeles is still favored against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, a line that now sits at -2.5 at FanDuel. A Wild Card win is as far as anyone should reasonably bet on them.
Assuming the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals win this weekend, both against backup quarterbacks, the AFC Divisional Round may include the four best quarterbacks in the sport.
Josh Allen has Stefon Diggs. Patrick Mahomes has Travis Kelce. Joe Burrow has Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Herbert’s lone option out wide, Keenan Allen, can no longer separate against man coverage. It sure would be nice to have a big-bodied deep threat to help stretch the field.
Thanks, Staley.
Currently, the Chargers are listed at +2100 to win it all. Doing so would require not only a Wild Card win, but keeping pace with two elite quarterbacks…before the big game. Despite their All-Universe quarterback, this Los Angeles offense has been bad for nearly the entire season. Don’t expect a fundamental shift now that their backs are against the wall.
Instead, laying down a unit on the Bengals (+750) or the Philadelphia Eagles (+500) makes more sense. The Bengals have perhaps the deepest roster of any AFC team and match up well with just about everybody. Their pseudo-bye week doesn’t hurt, either. Philly, too, has an awesome roster and a passer on a rookie deal. The NFC’s path to the trophy will go through Philadelphia one way or another.
As for Staley, some serious conversations must be had. The Chargers defense is incredibly well-coached and put the book out on one of the league’s most potent offenses, the Miami Dolphins. Yet, their troubles against the run tend to come back to bite them. That, combined with the apparent hopelessness of the offense, may send Los Angeles spiraling.
How will the Chargers weigh this most recent gaffe? Is it worth firing a head coach for a single catastrophic mistake–or was the Williams injury the straw that broke the camel’s back? There are exciting names on the coaching carousel and a potential trade for Sean Payton on the table, too.
Staley may be a very good defensive coordinator. But you cannot miss your layups in the fashion that he did last week. The jury is still out on him as a head coach, but things are grim. A loss on Saturday may end his head coaching career with the Chargers. I can’t say I’d blame them.
BASIC TIPS
This article features Super Bowl bets, which are considered futures, or bets placed on a more distant event than a quickly approaching game. These can include wagers like awards, win totals, and season-long statistical leaders, too. It is important that bettors don’t act too early on a futures bet, as operating with inadequate information equates to burning money. Instead, wait until there are both long enough odds to make it worth your while and enough information to bolster your confidence.