Chargers’ fixes aren’t simple as they move forward

The Los Angeles Chargers blew a 27-0 lead in the Wild Card round. Now, the offseason awaits, and with it, a litany of questions.

As he walked off the turf at TIAA Bank Field on Saturday night, Justin Herbert must have known a few truths.

For starters, he just sustained a loss he’ll never forget. Secondarily, nothing will be the same moving forward.

While Brandon Staley remains the Los Angeles Chargers’ head coach, it’s borderline unfathomable he’ll hold the post by Tuesday afternoon. Normally, a coach with a 19-15 record after two seasons is safe. But there’s nothing normal about Staley and the Chargers.

The last two weeks may have doomed Staley. Week 18 saw the unnecessary injury to receiver Mike Williams. Six days later, a 27-0 lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars, evaporating into the Florida night.

So then, what next?

The first fix for Los Angeles is firing Staley. He’s not good situationally and made a poor hire in offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. Lombardi’s scheme calls for almost exclusively short passes, as evidenced by running back Austin Ekeler having 107 receptions this year for only 722 yards.

However, it’s no guarantee Staley is gone. The Panos Family owns the Chargers, and they’ve notoriously been frugal. Firing Staley means paying out the remainder of his contract before signing his replacement. If his replacement is the oft-rumored Sean Payton, we’re talking a salary in excess of $10 million per year, along with sending significant draft compensation to the New Orleans Saints for his rights and services.

If Payton proves a pipe dream, things get murky. There’s no other proven option save Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh, and he also won’t come cheap. Once again, general manager Tom Telesco would be looking at young, cheap, unknowns. Not ideal.

But this isn’t just about Staley and his failings. It’s also about Justin Herbert.

In the modern day, there’s a certain ethos on social media that permeates. Groupthink dominates, and the thought around Herbert is seemingly nothing can be blamed on him. It’s always Staley, and if it’s not the coach; it’s his defense. If it’s neither of those, it’s the offensive line, or the play-caller, or the lack of perimeter speed.

And while all those areas lack at times — and in some cases, oftentimes — Herbert wears this loss. He wears the ugliness of Saturday night.

Jacksonville doesn’t have an imposing defense. The Jaguars’ leading sack artist is Josh Allen, who posted six all year. They don’t have a Pro Bowler across the roster. In a must-win Week 18 tilt with the Tennessee Titans, the Jacksonville defense allowed Joshua Dobbs to post a 67.4 QBR with virtually zero weapons and a makeshift offensive line.

Yet Herbert threw for only 6.3 yards per attempt, totaling 273 yards and a touchdown on 43 throws. He missed a wide-open Keenan Allen in the end zone when leading 24-0, costing Los Angeles a much-needed four points. In the second half, when one touchdown would have essentially finished the Jaguars, Herbert went 10-of-19 for 133 yards.

If Herbert is to be counted as elite, on the same level as Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen, he must step to the fore when the moment demands it. The aforementioned trio has done that time and again, showcasing an uncanny ability to make the big play in a crucial spot.

The Chargers needed Herbert to provide the clincher on Saturday. It never came.

If the refrain in the Los Angeles’ building is similar to the Twitter hive, stating Herbert is immune to being seen as part of the issue, then the roster needs substantial upgrades.

Where they will come from is a mystery.

Looking ahead, the Chargers are projected to be $11 million over the 2023 salary cap. There aren’t easy cuts. Perhaps Los Angeles moves on from corner Michael Davis ($7 million) and/or guard Matt Feiler ($6.5 million), but they’re both starters. Telesco will need to find replacements, likely through the draft. Unlike last offseason, there won’t be a free-agency frenzy in Los Angeles.

And, if Payton is acquired, the Bolts won’t have multiple high-end picks.

It’s easy to armchair the Chargers’ situation and feel like Staley’s potential ousting is the magical elixir. But to blow a 27-point lead, it takes an organizational failure. It takes a shallow roster, a quarterback not making a few big plays and a coaching staff being overwhelmed.

On Saturday night, Herbert left the field knowing his professional world was about to change.

But unless the changes are far more than Staley — Herbert included — it’s not enough.