Chargers News: Brandon Staley Feels 2022 Playoff Meltdown Helped Unite LA
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The NFL playoffs have proven to give the sports world some of the most classic and exciting playoff showdowns fans could ask for. This league is not like others where multiple games are played in a series to determine who moves on. It is one-game elimination and if you lose once the postseason hits, your season is over no matter how well you were doing previously.
The Los Angeles Chargers know that better than anybody after the 2022 season. After going 10-7 and finishing second in their division, they suffered a loss in the wild card round after allowing the Jacksonville Jaguars to make one of the biggest comebacks in history. A number of penalties, failed completions, and miscommunications on defense led to them watching their 27-point lead slowly decrease.
Because of this, LA will enter the season with some doubt on their names. The NFL world does not believe in them as much as they once did and they will have a lot to prove moving forward. Brandon Staley, head coach of the Chargers, however, thinks that they have learned a lot since then and have never been closer as a unit (provided by the NFL's Bobby Kownack).
"I think what happened this year in the playoffs, there was a lot of people hurt by that performance because we feel like we got a really good team," said Staley. "But at the same time, you know that you've got to go through some games like that in order to get where you want to go. I think our locker room is as tight as it's ever been. I think there's a lot of confidence going into this offseason. Now I want to see this team come together and build itself up for another special year this year."
(Per Bobby Kownack)
Seeing that the Bolts were able to still make the playoffs despite injuries to key players such as JC Jackson, Justin Herbert, and Donald Parham, that was a success in itself. However, they were a super fun team to watch down the stretch and even though their season ended in a disappointing fashion, they will remember that feeling.
We definitely will," said Staley. "We definitely will revisit it. The way the NFL ends, we didn't get to spend enough time. The NFL ends, and it's over. Two days later, everybody's gone. Every year's different, but through two years, there's been enough people that have been with us that have invested a ton, where we do need to go revisit. We have to go look at exactly what happened. And I think what we'll discover is we have what it takes. And sometimes those toughest moments in sports, those are the ones that really drive you, and I'm expecting that to happen with our group."
(Per Bobby Kownack)
Even though most franchises would prefer to forget about such a meltdown, it's good to know that Staley and the squad are using it as a form of motivation.
