The Los Angeles Chargers suffered yet another heartbreaking defeat in Week 10 against the Detroit Lions. In a high-scoring, back-and-forth affair, the Chargers fell just short, losing the game 41-38.
Their defense has had a lot of issues this season slowing down their opponent in any capacity. They currently rank 24th in points allowed and 31st in yardage. Los Angeles’s pass defense has been especially poor, as they are giving up the most yards through the air in the NFL.
Until they get that issue fixed, it is going to be hard for the Chargers to win games. They are wasting a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball, as Justin Herbert and company can keep up with any team in the NFL. Unfortunately, that has regularly not been enough for the team to win games.
According to ESPN’s Stats & Info, the Chargers have struggled mightily in close games, much like the one they played on Sunday afternoon. That was their 13th loss by three or fewer points since drafting Herbert in the 2020 NFL Draft. Over that span, that is the most such losses in the NFL.
Sure, the Chargers’ ground game could stand to improve a bit, but overall, there isn’t much more that the offense can to do put the team in a position to win games. They are eighth in points scored and 11th in yardage gained this season.
Since Herbert was drafted, the team has been above-average offensively, as their 18th-place finish in points scored during his rookie season was the lowest either statistic has been during Herbert’s tenure. This is a bad sign for head coach Brandon Staley, who has a defensive background from his time with the Los Angeles Rams.
With a positive point differential this season, it is hard to fathom how the Chargers are under the .500 mark, as the loss to the Lions dropped their record to 4-5 on the season. There may not be a coach in the NFL on as thin of ice as Staley, who saw his seat get hot after Los Angeles had a historic collapse during Super Wild Card Weekend of last season.
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