The Los Angeles Chargers entered the 2023 season with Super Bowl aspirations, and it might be time to adjust their purview. Sunday’s 27-24 defeat to the Tennessee Titans dropped the Chargers to 0-2, showing they probably still shouldn’t be taken seriously as a contender.
In the post-game, head coach Brandon Staley was trying to process the defeat with a gaggle of reporters. When someone asked a question about the “Jacksonville game” — a reference to Staley’s Chargers blowing a historic lead to the Jaguars in last year’s playoffs — L.A.’s leader positively lost it. This is what happens when purportedly “good” teams start to feel the pressure amid disappointment.
Frustrations are clearly starting to boil over for Staley and Co.:
Staley lost it when a reporter brought up the Jacksonville game💀 pic.twitter.com/lUK8X180qJ
— G (@3treblig) September 17, 2023
Honestly, I can understand Staley’s gripe. If anyone’s still running with some kind of narrative about the Chargers after a playoff game last January, it’s probably not fair. That said, that kind of game lives up to the Chargers’ infamous franchise precedent of choking at the worst possible time. And in a pivotal year for Staley especially, it’ll be hard to dodge the aftermath of that devastating night for Los Angeles. No one’s going to “move past it” when the team still hasn’t won a game since.
Two weeks into a new season, the Chargers are already in disaster mode. What else is new?
This was how Twitter reacted to Staley's rant
Give me a break man, it's convenient for YOU to want to move past it https://t.co/6dC5e8CbBf
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) September 17, 2023
So when the Jacksonville game was being spun as this great motivator, it had an impact, right?
But now that the team has started 0-2 how dare it get brought up? https://t.co/FZJQUXv0AH
— Bolt Beat (@BB_Chargers) September 17, 2023
Staley: I think about that Jacksonville game every day
Also Staley: that Jacksonville game means nothing.
And people wonder why this team just isn’t good. It starts from the top. https://t.co/GDN3ycGavL
— Romi (@RomiGalvan82) September 17, 2023
Say what you will about Brandon Staley’s coaching but he’s 100% correct to be mad, Jaguars loss has nothing to do with this season. https://t.co/jN5CHPlZxn
— Johnny Kinsley (@Brickwallblitz) September 17, 2023
Oh it definitely has to do with the Jacksonville game https://t.co/CTNbGPpkfW
— Alfie (@AlfieBCC) September 17, 2023
That hot seat getting hotter. You can feel it in his tone. That wasn’t about the reporter’s question in my eyes. https://t.co/zOaO5B1tZj
— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) September 17, 2023
Who hurt this man??? Oh, wait: it was us. 😈 https://t.co/1IriympogQ
— Casey Ayers (@caseyayers) September 17, 2023
I think coach is right saying all of this tbh https://t.co/NTOBr8v2tN
— Matty F. Brown (@mattyfbrown) September 17, 2023
I can tell you how the mood is outside the locker room and it’s not looking good for you brotha https://t.co/eXoSMDB36d
— Tim Lavin (@_TimLavin) September 17, 2023
