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EL SEGUNDO — The what-ifs, second-guesses and self-analysis could prove to be maddening after a loss like the one the Chargers suffered on Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs. No question, the Chargers were frustrated in the wake of their 19-17 loss in Kansas City.
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter had plenty of reasons this week to bemoan what happened over the course of 60 minutes at Arrowhead Stadium. They could have held a pity party with the Chargers players and coaches and no one would have blamed them.
What if the Chargers’ offense clicked earlier in the game instead at the start of the second half?
What if the Chargers’ defense had stopped the Chiefs on their final drive, with the clock ticking down?
What if a last-second field goal struck the goal post solidly instead of banking through the uprights to account for the winning points for the Chiefs?
“When you don’t win the game, you always go back and say, ‘Jeez, maybe I should have run the ball more,’” Roman said. “If we won the game, if that field goal bounces the other way, it’s a perfectly called game. You’re always going back, though. I think everybody does that – fans, coaches, coordinators, head coaches, position coaches, moms, dads, uncles, cousins – that’s one of the fun parts of the game. For me, I’ve got to go back, pragmatically, to the decision-making.”
But the time for reflection ended about the time the Chargers (8-5) returned to their practice facility Monday, the better to prepare for this coming Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6). There were lessons to be learned, to be sure, and some were necessary to prepare for the Bucs.
No question, Justin Herbert will try to connect with Joshua Palmer on a deep pass down the center of the field Sunday. Herbert and Palmer failed to click against the Chiefs. Certainly, the Chargers will rush Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield with as much intensity as they did Patrick Mahomes.
The principles are the same, Roman and Minter agreed. The plan for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay is to fix the small things that went awry last Sunday and added up to bigger things against Kansas City. Neither coach revealed the specifics about what might go into the game plan, however.
That would be giving away too much.
What was most important was bouncing back from a loss, especially a bitter one.
“We’re 8-5, so five different times we’ve had to show back up at that first meeting after a loss, which is never fun for anybody,” Minter said of returning to work after Sunday’s defeat. “You either win or you learn. Our guys have done an unbelievable job of responding to those situations, learning from them.”
The Chargers followed their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3 with a loss to the Chiefs in Week 4, but rebounded after their bye week with a victory over the Denver Broncos in Week 6. The Chargers haven’t lost two in a row since their early-season defeats to the Steelers and Chiefs.
HERBERT PRACTICES
One day after sitting out of practice because of a sprained left ankle and an injured left thigh, Herbert rejoined his teammates for Thursday’s practice, participating in individual and team drills in preparation for facing the Buccaneers, one of the NFL’s leakiest defenses this season.
Herbert had been wearing a black sleeve on his left leg to keep his knee warm before injuring his ankle in the first quarter against the Chiefs and his thigh in the second. He said Wednesday his ankle was the more debilitating of his injuries and his lack of mobility was what sidelined him.
BUCCANEERS DEFENSE
Tampa Bay goes into the game against the Chargers ranked 22nd in points given up with an average of 23.8 per game. The Buccaneers are 30th in net passing yards given up with an average of 253.4 per game. They are 28th in net yards per game given up, averaging 368.5 per game.
However, the Buccaneers’ pass rush has been one of the NFL’s best since Week 4, tied for second with the Philadelphia Eagles with 33 sacks. Only the Denver Broncos, with 36 sacks, have had more over the same span. The Chargers are tied with the Baltimore Ravens for fourth with 31 sacks.
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