After Blowout in Prime Time, Coach Is Out of a Job

Chargers fire Brandon Staley, along with the GM
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 15, 2023 3:12 PM CST
After Blowout in Prime Time, Coach Is Out of a Job
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Brandon Staley speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, in Las Vegas.   (AP Photo/David Becker)

It's never a good sign for the coach when, after the game, he's asked whether he should remain as coach. "Yes," answered Brandon Staley of the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night after the Las Vegas Raiders trounced his team 63-21, per CBS Sports. "Games like this happen." Unfortunately for Staley, team owner Dean Spanos came up with a different answer on Friday: He fired both Staley and GM Tom Telesco, reports CNN.

At 5-9, the Chargers are all but eliminated from the playoffs despite high expectations before the season began, ESPN. They've lost five of their last six games and were down 42-0 at halftime against the 6-8 Raiders—who started a backup QB and did not score a single point last week. (Their total of 63 on Thursday was just 9 off the all-time record, per NFL.com, but it was a franchise record for the Raiders, as well as a franchise record for points allowed by the Chargers.) The Chargers' star quarterback, Justin Herbert, broke his finger last week and is out for the season, but he'll be back next year. Because of Herbert and what seems to be a talented roster, the Athletic suggests the Chargers' coaching job "might be the most attractive in the NFL." (More Los Angeles Chargers stories.)

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