Chargers end season on a somber note

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The best way to describe the 2023 regular season for the Los Angeles Chargers would be unfulfilled. The Chargers left a lot of plays on the football field. The team had a lot of expectations going into the season. 

The promise of success for the Chargers turned into key players being waived or traded and management personnel being fired. The Chargers finished their season on a humble note, going 5-12 on the year. 

A  13-12 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at SoFi Stadium in the team’s season finale, might have summed up the season Los Angeles had. 

“I told the team after the game that we made a pact — after the Raiders game, where we were put in this situation — that we were going to fight and we were going to compete, we were going to make this organization proud, and I do think they did that,” Chargers interim head coach Giff Smith said. “We didn’t get the wins like we wanted to, but as far as what we were trying to accomplish, coming off of a difficult loss in Las Vegas, the character of these guys, I really think they rallied together and really fought for three games, I really do.”

The Chargers lost another opportunity to showcase to the rest of the NFL that they could be the NEXT great team in the league. They have a franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert. The pieces around Herbert were there. 

Running back Austin Ekeler came back for another season to play with the ballclub. Wide receivers Mike Williams and Keenan Allen were supposed to scare opponents. On defense, linebacker Khalil Mack and safety Derwin James were the lockdown pros. 

With that said, the Chargers never found a consistent offense or any type of a defensive rhythm. As a result, the Chargers had a lot of uneven play during the season.  

Interestingly enough, the way the season went for the Chargers, a sequence of plays in the first quarter against the Chiefs was sort of symbolic of things going right and then moving in the wrong direction for Los Angeles. 

Easton Stick, the backup to Herbert, was eyeballing the goal line and made a scramble up the middle. Stick was stripped of the ball and Kansas City defensive back Mike Edwards scooped up the ball and ran 97 yards the other way for the defensive score. You just can’t write this stuff up.  

Still, Stick battled and showed himself to be a quality quarterback in this league, not only against the Chiefs, but in the the games he was called to duty after Herbert was lost to the season after suffering a hand injury to his right hand. 

Against the Chiefs, Stick perhaps improved his stock as a backup quarterback or even a starter somewhere. Doing his best Herbert impression, Stick rushed for 77 yards and passed for an additional 258 yards in the loss to Kansas City. 

With Herbert going down, Stick had a month to prove he can play in this league. He believes he did that. Stick said there was a moment when the lightbulb went off.   

“I think when I went in against Denver, after [QB] Justin’s [Herbert] deal, I felt like I saw it and was like, ‘OK, I can do this.’ That was probably the first time. [Offensive Coordinator] Kellen [Moore] does such a good job of putting us in a position, Justin and I, to go out there and play well and just play clear and play fast,” Stick said. “I’m appreciative of Kellen, for Nuss [Quarterbacks Coach Doug Nussmeier], for building confidence in that room, even when it was going tough for a while. Those two guys, especially, I think had a huge part in it.”

 The Chargers came into the 2023 NFL season with high hopes. And for good reason. The Chargers, strapped with the right arm of Herbert, were on many preseason lists as potential Super Bowl contenders. 

That didn’t happen. A lot went sideways for the Chargers from August until the first week of January. In training camp, every team has Super Bowl aspirations. The Chargers were no different from any other team. Expectations. High hopes. None of that panned out for the Chargers. 

A year after their playoff collapse against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC Wild Card game, the Chargers were not good enough to make the postseason. Former head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco lost their jobs thanks to a 63-21 wipeout the Las Vegas Raiders handed the team.

In his nearly three years as head coach of the Chargers, Staley compiled a win-loss record of 24-24. With a high-profile roster, the Chargers were nothing more than an average or mediocre team at best under Staley. Now that this season has concluded, it’s time for the Chargers to look for their future head coach. 

Smith is just grateful for the opportunity to fill in as the head coach for the Chargers. 

“Being grateful. I’ve been very blessed in my life. This was a great opportunity to give back to these young men, so I’m extremely grateful for that,” Smith said.