Chargers’ playoff hopes dwindle as margin for error shrinks – Orange County Register

INGLEWOOD – After last week’s agonizing loss in Kansas City, it should be a good game for the Chargers, right?

We-eeeell …

Baker Mayfield had a lot to say about that, and the Chargers had few answers.

The Tampa Bay quarterback — who revived his career two years ago at SoFi Stadium as the Rams’ late-season QB with more than 200 yards passing against the Raiders and Broncos — set fire to that building’s other tenant on Sunday. His 22-for-27 game with four touchdown passes and 288 passing yards in a 40-17 Bucs victory suddenly cast doubt on what had previously seemed like a fairly straightforward march by the Chargers to a wild-card spot.

To borrow the terminology of another sport, this is what it looked like towards the end. When the Chargers attempted fourth-and-7 from midfield with just over six minutes to play, it was tantamount to pulling the goalie at a similar point in hockey. This time the effect was comparable to an empty goal. A Justin Herbert completion to DJ Chark Jr. was 3 yards short, and that was the last look the Chargers had of the game.

And now it’s getting stickier.

For most of this season, Jim Harbaugh’s first Chargers team appeared to be headed for a postseason berth. Their defense was among the league leaders in fewest points allowed and didn’t give up 20 or more points until Week 11, while an offense that had rediscovered a tough, physical running game was the perfect complement to Justin Herbert’s skill and, yes, toughness.

Each of them was nowhere to be found on Sunday.

As previously mentioned, Mayfield carved up the Chargers’ defense with the pass, while Bucky Irving (117 yards, 15 attempts) and Rachaad White (64 on 15 attempts) continually carved them up. Mayfield himself contributed a crucial 21-yard scramble just before halftime, setting up a field goal.

“We know who we are as a team and as a defense and the standard we hold ourselves to,” lineman Morgan Fox said. “…We are upset, but we know we have to fix the problem. We are professionals and our standard is much higher than what we film today.”

Meanwhile, the Chargers went scoreless in the second half, which could be due in large part to predictability. They had only gained 32 yards for the game on 11 carries, 23 of which were by Gus Edwards. In the second half, they had 4 yards on 4 carries, and the predictability of the pass led to this result: They were outrebounded 297-65, giving them a 30-0 lead.

“It’s difficult to score points when we’re 0-6 in the third half,” Herbert said. “We definitely have to get better, be it in communication or simply being on the same level. We didn’t get it done the way we needed to today, especially not in the third half.”

A month ago they were 7-3. They have lost three of their last four games and are now 8-6 in the third wild card spot, falling behind Denver. The Broncos are their next opponent, here on Thursday evening.

The Chargers are still two games ahead of Miami, Cincinnati and Indianapolis, all of whom are 6-8, but without a quick course correction that cushion could disappear easily enough. After Denver, the Chargers play their Week 17 game at New England – this should It would be a win against the 3-11 Patriots, and if not, the Chargers are in more trouble than anyone thinks.

And when it comes down to the final week, the game will take place in Las Vegas. In 2021, the Raiders knocked the Chargers out of the playoffs at season’s end in Vegas. And in 2323, they embarrassed LA 63-21 in Week 15, and head coach Brandon Staley was fired the next morning. And the Raiders, now 2-11, will certainly have nothing to do but torment their arch-rivals once again.

From this standpoint, the Chargers need to play with desperation, or at least utmost urgency. There’s a fine line, of course, and perhaps the difference between urgency and desperation depends on whether you’re trying to make plays or stop them.

“I don’t think there’s a time when desperation helps anyone,” Herbert said. “It’s just up to us as an offense and us as a team to execute and play the way we need to. Obviously these are all important games in December and January and this is where we want to be, we just have to keep going and get better.”

Linebacker Daiyan Henley had a slightly different opinion.

“I think this team will play better just because we don’t like losing,” he said. “What you’re going to see now is – it’s desperation, yes, but we could say we’ve been desperate since the beginning of the season because we always wanted to reach the postseason. “We know that. Accepting such a loss does not make us more desperate than we already are.