“Chargers–Disgusting Defeat in Denver”——

Let’s all agree not to listen to anything that Chargers coach Brandon Staley says at his Monday press conference.

There should not be any  feel good philosophical comments from Staley, not after yesterday’s terrible loss to the Broncos.

The Broncos, a really substandard football team, with pedestrian quarterbacks, a crippled offensive line, wasted use of wide receivers. and a non-creative group of offensive coaches.

Pick any segment of the Chargers game, and you can post it on the bulletin board why this might be a team that misses the playoffs.

Justin Herbert, for the first time this season, threw balls into bad coverage without setting his feet.  Yes he threw for 303-yards and scrambled a couple of times for nice plays.  But overall his game was skittish.

The offensive line had to play without three starters, and they were horrible.
The poor play of RT-Storm Norton was surpassed by the horrible play of LG-Senio Kelemete.  When he was done, he took 3-penalties, .gave up two sacks and allowed 2-pressures.  Most of that damage was in the second half.

Mike Schofield, who had played well at right guard, had a bad day giving up a couple of sacks and allowing a couple of tackles for losses on plays run to his side. Even first round pick left tackle Rashawn Slater struggled-maybe his toughest day, he gave up a sack and 2-pressures.

When the OL-group went to the showers, they allowed 10-hits on Herbert…allowed 9-pressures….3-sacks and 4-penalties.  It was awful and it was against a last place Denver team.

The Chargers defensive front got pushed around like a wheel barrow full of dirt. They had 1-sack, just 2-hits on quarterbacks, 2-tackles for losses and 2-pressures.  When they went to the locker room, it was with a stat sheet showing Melvin Gordon, their ex teammate ,rushing for 83-yards and rookie Javante Williams trampling them for 111-all purpose yards.

And the secondary’s troubled guys continued to get beat.  Trevaughn Campbell, Nassir Adderley and Michael Davis allowed 7-receptions and took 2-penalties.

It wasted a solid day from Joey Bosa, who had 3-pressures, and what Derwin James did, a sack, an amazing diving interception and a couple of thundering tackles.

And special teams, missed a field goal and failed on a 2-point conversion.

Adding to all this Staley went for 1st down on 4th down and failed with that play call.

What’s hard to accept is the fact this was Denver, whose QB-Ted Bridgewater got hurt in the lst quarter.  His backup Drew Lock threw a terrible interception on what should have been a throw-away pass, he was pulled and Bridgewater limped back onthe field to play the second half on one leg.

Denver got so conservative in play-calls because of the poor quarterback play, they ignored throwing much to their top young corps of receivers, Courtland Sutton…Jerry Jeudy or tight end Noah Fant.

Vic Fangio was calling plays like it was single wing football or it was 1963 in the NFL.

They don’t have much talent in Denver, and yet they beat up Staley’s team of skilled stars.

The Chargers ran 23-of-the 26 plays in the 3rd quarter…dominated…and then fell apart in the 4th quarter.

That (4-1) Chargers start seems a lifetime ago.  They have lost 5-of-7 games since that start, and next week they go to Cincinnati to face Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon and a Bengals team that just mugged the Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium.

This situation doesn’t have a good feel about it right now, regardless of how many chorus’ of Kumbaya the head coach sings at his Monday press briefing.

Six weeks left in the regular season and what we see now is not what we saw early in the year.  Justin Herbert cannot do it by himself and it does not look like the people around will play better.

Backup offensive lineman are backups because they are not good enough.  The lack of grit on the defensive front is a disappointment.  And the kids in the secondary look like they are not earning their stripes, but are wearing skid marks getting burned by wideouts.

What  a disgusting defeat in Denver.  Don’t explain it any other way coach.  I am not listening to your version this week.
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