Chargers’ Brandon Staley defends fourth-down attempts versus Chiefs

Brandon Staley’s mixed results connected 4th down successful beforehand of a nationalist assemblage Thursday nighttime sparked the latest statement astir the usage of analytics successful the NFL.

The Chargers near points connected the tract aft going 2 for 5 connected 4th down during their 34-28 overtime nonaccomplishment to the Kansas City Chiefs astatine SoFi Stadium.

Two of the 3 failed 4th downs were wrong the Chiefs’ 5-yard enactment for goal-to-go situations. The 3rd miscue occurred connected the Chiefs’ 28-yard line.

For those doing the casual math, the Chargers passed connected 3 field-goal attempts for 9 points. But the Chargers’ first-year caput manager prefers analyzable mathematics and had nary regrets astir the assertive attack the time aft the heartbreaking loss.

“I’m ne'er going to gamble, arsenic a coach,” Staley said Friday. “These players mean excessively overmuch to me. Our squad means excessively overmuch to me. I’m not gambling astatine all. I’m decidedly not going to beryllium reckless, ever. I felt similar those were advantaged situations for us. I didn’t deliberation immoderate 1 of those opportunities decreased our chances of winning.

“I felt similar doing that made our chances of winning summation successful a large way. What we’re trying to found astir present is the mindset that we’re going to effort and spell triumph the crippled connected our terms, and the squad is going to person to bushed us.”

The fourth-down determination that galore had a hard clip processing was the last play earlier halftime erstwhile backmost Justin Herbert failed to link with wide receiver Keenan Allen from the Chiefs’ 1-yard enactment with the Chargers starring 14-10.

Staley said a imaginable 17-10 pb with the Chiefs getting the shot to commencement the 2nd fractional wouldn’t person made overmuch of a quality due to the fact that of the Chiefs’ estimation for being a high-scoring offense.

“I thought we were playing really, truly good defensively,” Staley said astir the captious play. “I felt similar if you (take the) 3 determination and spell up 7 points that if Kansas City scores – it’s a one-possession game. It’s a one-possession game. I truly felt like, to enactment the unit connected them, people to marque it 21-10. I felt similar that would springiness america the benignant of separation for the 2nd fractional that would pb america into playing the benignant of crippled that we wanted to play.”

Perhaps a 21-10 people would person created much evident passing situations to springiness the Chargers’ defence flexibility against Chiefs backmost Patrick Mahomes, but it didn’t enactment retired that way.

Staley has been accordant this play with his high-risk, high-reward mindset. He’s a instrumentality of analytics, but his assertive decisions are based much connected the discourtesy helium has and the opponents he’s facing.

For Staley, getting little than 4 yards isn’t a occupation for Herbert and his galore playmakers, and he’s alert that tract goals alternatively of touchdowns usually don’t pb to winning results against the Chiefs.

The Chargers defeated the Chiefs successful Week 3 astatine Arrowhead Stadium with the aforesaid assertive crippled plan, the lone quality being that they converted connected captious 4th downs.

Staley was playing the amended likelihood Thursday nighttime and helium had nary issues with taking the disapproval for the failed 4th downs.

“The existent shot radical recognize that what I’m doing is playing to the strengths of our shot team,” Staley said. “What I’m doing is I’m trying to marque the decisions that I deliberation are going to triumph america the game. I’m acceptable to unrecorded with each that fume that comes with it. I’ve been precise transparent astir that. What makes shot and contention truthful large is that determination aren’t going to beryllium cleanable decisions.

“You request to beryllium capable to unrecorded with the decisions and your squad needs to cognize wherefore you’re making these decisions, truthful that they tin unrecorded with them, too. I cognize the mode that my mindset is, I cognize the mode that our mindset is astir here. I besides recognize the criticism, too. I afloat recognize that arsenic well. I deliberation that we’re gathering thing truly peculiar here. I’m arrogant of the mode that we competed past night.”

Allen has embraced Staley’s assertive mindset due to the fact that it helped them triumph one-score games aboriginal successful the play and it avoided having to trust connected the kicker, thing that hasn’t worked retired good for this franchise successful caller memory.

“We said it astatine the opening of the season, we’re going for it,” Allen said. “We privation points, particularly erstwhile you play a squad similar that, you gotta get 7 points and not 3 points. … (It) leaves the crippled successful our hands. I don’t privation to footwear the shot and ticker it and hope. I’d alternatively enactment retired determination and fto america bash it.”

For Chargers cornerback Chris Harris Jr., the existent deciding origin for Thursday’s result was not having information Derwin James connected the tract for the 2nd half.

James’ injured hamstring bothered him passim the crippled and the Chargers decided to propulsion him successful the 3rd quarter. Chiefs choky extremity Travis Kelce did astir of his harm erstwhile James was connected the sideline, including connected the game-winning 34-yard catch-and-run touchdown successful overtime.

Staley said helium doesn’t judge James did further harm to his hamstring by playing against the Chiefs.

“D.J. (James) was successful and retired the game,” Harris said. “He tried to combat for america arsenic overmuch arsenic helium could. He conscionable needed rest. You enactment D.J. connected Kelce, what bash y’all deliberation is going to happen? Different crippled adjacent time.”

The Chargers aren’t wavering from Staley’s assertive attack – the results are 1 triumph and 1 overtime nonaccomplishment against the Chiefs, the five-time defending AFC West champions. They had the Chiefs connected the ropes and were a fewer fourth-down conversions distant from taking archetypal spot successful the division.

“I consciousness bully astir our team,” Allen said. “Even with the nonaccomplishment (Thursday), I consciousness similar we played great, conscionable a mates moments and a mates plays. Just gotta beryllium capable to crook it astir and build.”