Chargers' Staley: 'I'm as frustrated as anybody' over blown lead vs. Jags

Four days after his team blew a 27-0 lead in the wild-card round, Chargers head coach Brandon Staley expressed his disappointment Wednesday with how Los Angeles' season ended.

"I'm as frustrated as anybody that's a Chargers fan over what happened," Staley said. "Because there's no one investing as much as we are in what happened."

After leading 27-7 at halftime against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles gave up 24 second-half points while only scoring three of its own.

"I've been the head coach for 25 games. Twenty-five. And that is the first time, that a lead like that ... has happened," Staley said.

Following the collapse, Staley fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and quarterbacks coach Shane Day on Tuesday.

"There's a different level that we need to play at offensively, particularly at the line of scrimmage and the run game," Staley said.

He added: "I think there is just a style of play that's still out there for us. And I think we made improvements each season toward heading where I think we can ultimately go as a football team. And again, these aren't easy decisions, but I think you're not trying to, you know, stay in a certain place. You're always trying to take your game to a different level."

Quarterback Justin Herbert had a remarkable campaign, finishing second in the NFL in passing yards with 4,739 while throwing 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. However, the Chargers finished 30th in rushing yards per game.

L.A. made a number of moves last offseason, including bringing in star pass-rusher Khalil Mack and cornerback J.C. Jackson.

"I'm really excited to get this process started," Staley said. "Because just like last year when we made a lot of big improvements in our football team, it gave us this chance to compete for a championship."

Los Angeles owns the 22nd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft but has $-19,553,901 in cap space, according to Spotrac.

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