Heated Brandon Staley gets defensive after Chargers can’t hold lead, lose to Packers
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Torched again, the smell of the Chargers’ burnt pass defense permeated Sunday even into a performance during which the group allowed only two touchdowns.
Brandon Staley faced repeated questions related to his defense following a 23-20 loss to Green Bay, the inquires reaching a point where the head coach turned plenty defensive himself.
“There were a lot of other things that caused us to lose today,” Staley said. “It certainly wasn’t our defense. It was the way we played as a team.”
Justin Herbert and Chargers fall to Packers 23-20
🏈 Packers 23, Chargers 20 — FINAL
The Chargers fell to 4-6 Sunday with a loss at Green Bay.
The Packers entered the game with only three victories in their first nine games but proved to be too much for a Chargers team that appears to be fading.
Justin Herbert finished 21 of 36 for 260 yards and two touchdowns. Keenan Allen had 10 catches for 116 yards.
The Chargers had two late possessions with a chance to tie the score or take the lead but couldn’t take advantage.
Rookie wide receiver Quentin Johnston had a key drop on the final possession.
Green Bay’s Jordan Love set a career high with 322 yards passing. He also threw for two scores.
Packers take lead late in fourth quarter after Chargers miscues on defense
🏈 Packers 23, Chargers 20 — 2:33 left in the fourth quarter
Jordan Love and the Green Bay offense steamrolled over the Chargers’ defense to retake the lead late in the fourth quarter.
Love hit Romeo Doubs for a 24-yard touchdown to cap a six-play, 75-yard drive.
The series also included a 35-yard Love completion to Dontayvion Wicks.
Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. was called for pass interference to extend the drive on a third-and-20.
Justin Herbert connects with Keenan Allen to give Chargers 20-16 lead
🏈 Chargers 20, Packers 16 — 5:24 left in fourth quarter
The Chargers retook the lead over Green Bay when Justin Herbert passed 10 yards to Keenan Allen for a touchdown.
The pass capped an 11-play, 63 yard drive.
Herbert is up to 250 yards on 19-of-29 passing. Allen has nine receptions for 112 yards.
Herbert is also the Chargers’ leading rusher with 73 yards on seven attempts.
Packers jump back ahead on Christian Watson TD catch
🏈 Packers 16, Chargers 13 — :04 left in the third quarter
The Chargers fell behind in the closing seconds of the third quarter when Green Bay’s Jordan Love lofted an 11-yard touchdown pass to Christian Watson.
Anders Carlson missed the extra point.
The Packers went 70 yards in five plays to take the lead. The biggest play was a 39-yard catch and run by rookie tight end Tucker Craft.
The Chargers have allowed 330 yards on a day when Green Bay has opened with a 55-37 edge in offensive plays.
Chargers retake lead on a Cameron Dicker field goal
🏈 Chargers 13, Packers 10 — 10:44 left in third quarter
The Chargers moved back on top with a 26-yard field goal from Cameron Dicker.
On third down from the Green Bay seven-yard line, Justin Herbert hit Keenan Allen near the goal line, but Allen was unable to make the catch.
The Chargers also announced that edge rusher Joey Bosa won’t return to this game. Bosa suffered a foot injury on the game’s first series.
Packers field goal makes it a tied game at halftime
🏈 Chargers 10, Packers 10 — HALFTIME
Green Bay pulled even with the Chargers going into halftime when Anders Carlson booted a 28-yard field goal with seven seconds left in the second quarter.
The Packers have outgained the Chargers 234-164 in total yards and have a 13-5 edge in first downs.
Justin Herbert is seven of 12 for 92 yards, with a touchdown pass to reserve tight end Stone Smartt.
Keenan Allen, who is playing through a shoulder injury, had a quiet opening two quarters with two receptions for 15 yards.
The Chargers will receive the kickoff to open the second half.
Chargers retake lead on Stone Smartt’s 51-yard TD reception
🏈 Chargers 10, Packers 7 — 12:16 left in the second quarter
Justin Herbert hit reserve tight end Stone Smartt for a 51-yard catch and run to put the Chargers up again.
Smartt made the grab and then eluded Green Bay safety Jonathan Owens before racing into the end zone for his first career touchdown.
Packers take lead on Jayden Reed touchdown run
🏈 Packers 7, Chargers 3 — 14:53 left in the second quarter
The Chargers’ defense crumbled again in dramatic fashion, allowing Green Bay to take the lead seven seconds into the second quarter.
On first-and-10 from the Chargers’ 32-yard line, Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed went around the offense’s right end for a touchdown, streaking with little resistance down the sideline.
The Chargers permitted Green Bay to convert a third-and-eight on the series when Jordan Love connected with AJ Dillon for a 20-yard gain.
Cameron Dicker field goal gets the Chargers on the scoreboard
🏈 Chargers 3, Packers 0 — 1:22 left in the first quarter
The Chargers scored the game’s first points on a 25-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker with 1:22 remaining in the first quarter.
The boot concluded a 12-play drive and covered 79 yards.
Austin Ekeler’s 37-yard run on third-and-one was the biggest play and set up the Chargers with a first down at the Green Bay 12-yard line.
But the drive stalled when Justin Herbert and Keenan Allen failed to connect on third-and-five.
Joey Bosa in tears as he is carted off to the locker room
Chargers lost edge rusher Joey Bosa on the first series of the game Sunday at Green Bay.
The veteran hobbled off the field in what appeared to be significant pain and was eventually carted to the visiting locker room. Bosa had a towel over his face and was in tears as he sat on the cart.
The team announced that he is questionable to return because of a foot injury.
Chargers’ D update: ‘We sit in the film room week after week fixing the same mistakes’
Las Vegas already fired its head coach, and Buffalo dumped its offensive coordinator Tuesday.
In Carolina, Frank Reich is now taking back the offensive play-calling he handed off to one of his assistants just three games ago.
Struggling NFL teams in search of answers are making big changes in hopes of spurring big improvements.
There will be no such developments this week with the Chargers, coach Brandon Staley saying Wednesday that he will continue to call the defensive plays for a unit that has lacked any sort of consistency.
Keenan Allen active for Chargers vs. Green Bay Packers
Wide receiver Keenan Allen is active for the Chargers game today against Green Bay. The veteran has been dealing with a shoulder injury.
Fellow wideout Jalen Guyton is out after he suffered a groin injury late in the week.
Starting tight end Gerald Everett (chest) also is out, which the team announced Friday.
The Chargers’ other inactives for today: running backs Isaiah Spiller (illness) and Elijah Dotson, cornerback Essang Bassey, offensive lineman Zack Bailey and defensive lineman Scott Matlock.
Chargers vs. Packers matchups: How to watch, start time and prediction
Breaking down how the Chargers (4-5) and Green Bay Packers (3-6) match up heading into their game Sunday at 10 a.m. PST at Lambeau Field. The game will be televised on Fox.
When Chargers have the ball
Justin Herbert is coming off one of the best games of his career, a game in which he led the Chargers to touchdowns on each of their final five possessions against Detroit. Green Bay has allowed only five touchdowns over its last three games.
No, the Packers’ 3-6 record isn’t a reflection of a bad defense. In fact, they haven’t allowed a quarterback to throw for as many as 275 yards in a game.
Chargers have been sliding downhill and climb back begins or ends in Green Bay
His team had just beaten its L.A. rivals, the Chargers pushing their win streak to four and reveling in the postseason berth clinched along the way.
Brandon Staley stood before the media inside SoFi Stadium and talked about the good things happening all at once.
“A big thing that we’ve been emphasizing is just the finish in our football team,” he said, “and finding our best here down the stretch.”