Chargers coach Mike McCoy clear about wanting to return

SAN DIEGO (AP) While sifting through the aftermath of another loss, Chargers coach Mike McCoy made something clear: he wants to return next season.

''Yes I do,'' McCoy said Monday, ''without a doubt.''

When asked if he had been approached about an extension, McCoy declined to elaborate.

''I'm worried about Carolina right now,'' said McCoy, whose Chargers face the Panthers on Sunday. ''That is all I'm concerned about. We have to find a way to go win this one. We got to find a way to go out there and don't turn the ball over, be more consistent in all three phases, finish the game and win. That is all we are concerned about right now is to get a win on the road. We will deal with everything else down the road.''

The last-place Chargers (5-7) were less than 24 hours away from their latest fourth-quarter meltdown, this one coming against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 28-21. For the fifth time this season, the Chargers squandered a lead in the final 15 minutes and on this occasion it all but eliminated them from the playoffs.

Indications are the Chargers, who are considering moving to Los Angeles, will miss the postseason for the sixth time in seven seasons.

The Chargers have lost 25 of their past 38 games (.342 winning percentage) and are 9-19 since last year, a span in which for the majority of the time they've been in the AFC West cellar.

McCoy, who is under contract for next season, has had a rocky ride in his first stint as a head coach at any level. The Broncos' former offensive coordinator directed the Chargers to a 9-7 mark and a road playoff win in 2013, his first year.

Since then, the Chargers have struggled.

Not only have they lost 11 of their last 12 AFC West games but the division-leading Oakland Raiders have more wins this year (10) than the Chargers (nine) have since 2015.

What makes this season so painful for the Chargers is their play in the most critical moments.

The Chargers lost their season-opener when Kansas City rallied for a win, outscoring the Chargers 30-3 in the fourth quarter and overtime. On Sunday, it was more of the same as the Buccaneers outscored the Chargers 21-7 in the second half.

''We've gone into the fourth quarter with the lead plenty of times,'' McCoy said. ''We have been in position to win all of them and we haven't got it done. Like we have been saying, everyone is different. Why is it happening? It's different on a weekly basis.''

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