Brandon Staley was fired as Chargers head coach in a move that seemed like a pretty good bet after a very bad night in Las Vegas.
Hours after an historic 63-21 blowout loss to the Raiders, the Los Angeles Chargers announced they parted ways with the head coach and general manager Tom Telesco. Outside linebackers coach Giff Smith and director of player personnel JoJo Wooden were named the interim head coach and interim general manager, respectively.
"I want to thank Tom and Brandon for their hard work, dedication and professionalism, and wish both them and their great families nothing but the best," said owner Dean Spanos. "These decisions are never easy, nor are they something I take lightly — especially when you consider the number of people they impact. We are clearly not where we expect to be, however, and we need new vision.
"Doing nothing in the name of continuity was not a risk I was willing to take. Our fans have stood strong through so many ups and downs and close games. They deserve more. Frankly, they’ve earned more. Building and maintaining a championship-caliber program remains our ultimate goal. And reimagining how we achieve that goal begins today."
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The lop-sided loss came to a struggling Raiders team that was coming off a mind-numbingly dull 3-0 loss to Minnesota. But by halftime, Las Vegas had put up 42 points on the Chargers, who failed to cross midfield until the third quarter.
The Chargers trailed 42-0 at halftime, just three points shy of the NFL record defifict for halftime that was set in 2009 when New England led Tennessee 45-0. The 42-point margin has been matched two other times — by Green Bay over Chicago in 2014 and the Packers over Tampa Bay in 1983. Las Vegas also broke its previous record for a half, which was 38 against the Broncos in that 2010 game.
The halftime deficit was the biggest in Chargers history. They trailed the Patriots 31-0 in 1997.
Los Angeles quarterback Easton Stick, making his first start in place of the injured Justin Herbert, completed 23 of 32 passes for 257 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception.
“We just didn’t have a good game tonight,” Staley said. “We didn’t have it from the beginning to the end. It’s just one of those games where nothing went right for us. We got a good group of guys, but it was just one of those games where all three phases, the worst thing happened to us tonight. It’s a reflection of all of us."
Staley, the Rams former defensive coordinator, was named head coach by the Chargers in 2021. His teams made the playoffs once, losing in the wild card round last year.
He was asked after the game whether he expected to still coach the team.
"I don't know," Staley said.
"Yes," he added, when asked if he thought he should be. "I know that what I’ve done here for three years and I know what I put into this. … I believe in myself. But again, this isn’t about me This is about a group that’s hurting in there."
The loss marked a low-point, but speculation had been building for weeks about Staley's future. The team opened 4-4, but lost five of its last six. They were outscored 171-102 during that span.
Telesco had been GM since 2013. The Chargers made the playoffs three times during his time in the front office.
