The Amazon Prime announcing team couldn’t help but point out the apathy of the LA Chargers in their 63-21 loss to the Raiders
Thursday night saw the Las Angeles Chargers – playing without injured starting QB Justin Herbert – get completely demolished by the Las Vegas Raiders, 63-21. The ‘Bolts defense had no answer for a Sin City offense that scored 42 points in the first half alone.
Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell has steadily improved since replacing Jimmy Garrapolo for Vegas, and he continued that trend with four TD passes. One of those scores was to All-Pro DeVante Admas, who had 101 yards receiving on a night that saw the Raiders control the entire game from start to finish.
On the flip side, the Chargers looked completely lost, and it’s been indicative of coach Brandon Staley’s tenure in LA. During his time with the team, the 41-year-old play-caller has often fallen short of expectations – especially considering the talent he’s had to work with. That’s something that became obvious to the Thursday Night Football announce team of Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit – who were quick to take Staley and the Chargers to task for their terrible performance during the telecast.
“That defense – and that’s Brandon Staley’s pedigree — he came from the Rams where he ran the defense under Sean McVay — they’re 29th in yards allowed, 29th in passing and they look like it,” Michaels commented. “Meanwhile, last week, 12 possessions no points [the Raiders]. Tonight, two possessions, 14 [points].”
“Everything going right for the Raiders. Everything going — just a disaster — for the Chargers,” Herbstreit agreed.
“Complete nightmare for the Chargers,” Michaels followed up.
The announcers continued to lambast Staley and the Chargers for their pitiful play throughout the night. And they aren’t the only ones pointing out that Staley might not be the man in LA for much longer. Now in his third season, he’s a respectable 25-25 during his tenure with the ‘Bolts. However, his team is now 5-9, and he’s fallen well below the franchise’s expectations in 2023. Many experts around the NFL believe he will be replaced in the offseason. And Thursday night’s performance by his team certainly won’t help his cause.
EDITORS NOTE: Following the publication of this post, Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco were fired.
“These decisions are never easy, nor are they something I take lightly — especially when you consider the number of people they impact,” said team owner Dean Spanos in a statement. “We are clearly not where we expect to be, however, and we need new vision. Doing nothing in the name of continuity was not a risk I was willing to take. Our fans have stood strong through so many ups and downs and close games. They deserve more. Frankly, they’ve earned more.”
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