‘Crushing Defeat: Brandon Staley’s Defensive Struggle in Los Angeles’

Even though the calendar shows the end of November, things are going to be exciting in Los Angeles this week.

That’s especially true of the rumor that the Los Angeles Chargers are sprinting in the wrong direction at an alarming rate.

Sunday’s trip to Green Bay produced another loss, this time a 23-20 verdict, which puts the Chargers in an unenviable spot: Their 4-6 mark is better than just two AFC teams.

Coach Brandon Staley was full of poise and promise as the season began, confident his third team would aim for the Kansas City Chiefs and the AFC West title in his first role as head coach at any level.

But after Sunday’s collapse, the embattled Staley was filled to the brim with a cantankerous attitude that saw him verbally struggle with reporters and shrug off speaking to the Chargers faithful.

“I’m not here to talk to the fanbase,” an excited Staley said when briefing the media. “I’m here to talk to my players and the locker room.”

But the reporters were here to talk to Staley as he was dealing with questions about his pass defense, which has ranked last since the Bolts seemingly canceled training camp.

Staley’s charges were once again out of position at key moments, and once again Staley remained stubborn when asked if he would continue to push the defense.

“You can stop asking that question,” a curt Staley said. “I’m going to call the defense, okay? So we are clear. So you don’t have to ask that again.”

Looks like Staley has a full plate and now he wants to tell reporters how to do their jobs?

That’s not quite how it works in the NFL, and especially in LA, where underperforming coaches consistently put their feet to the fire — hello, USC’s Lincoln Riley and UCLA’s Chip Kelly.

But with a defense unable to slow down passing games with any regularity, LA continues to play just well enough to lose. They earned a hat trick on Sunday with three two-game losing streaks, and Staley’s poise has melted away with each loss.

“You’re acting like we never played good defense,” Staley said. “You’re acting like we haven’t made any improvements.”

One would hope that would be the case as his defensive scheme enters its third year under Staley, featuring top players making big money.

The Chargers have invested time and time again in a unit to complement their stellar quarterback Justin Herbert, and there have been some bright spots.

But those green slides are overshadowed by the reality that the defense just isn’t very good. And it turns out to be minus Pro Bowl linebacker Joey Bosa after he suffered a significant foot injury on Sunday.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love had his first 300-yard passing game, going for a career-high 322 and throwing two touchdowns. The second, to Romeo Dobbs with 2:33 to go, was a microcosm of a bad Chargers season.

When the Packers made a run on the sulky drive, the Chargers backed away. Their communication went haywire as they ran around like eleven boys who had just met.

Cornerback Michael Davis was beaten by Dobbs for the go-ahead shot, but only after Davis nearly punched bodies with linebacker Kenneth Murray, Jr., as the defenders looked wrong in their attempt to line up correctly.

“You can’t scoot around and run,” said Davis, whose sloppy tackle gave the Packers a 35-yard gain on an earlier pass to Dontayvion Wicks.

Love, who had under 200 yards rushing three times this season, became the fifth quarterback to rush past 300 yards against the Chargers this year.

The Chargers passed on other solid candidates when it landed on Staley as their coach, thanks to his defensive leanings.

Now Staley is flustered when asked to explain why his defense can’t get out of the way in time.

Welcome to fall in LA, where hot seat coaching is in full swing. That includes a Brandon Staley.