Costa Mesa, Calif. - "Your back is against the wall."
According to Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Linval Joseph, coach Brandon Staley told the team this week after a surprise 41-29 loss to the Houston Texans. And then Staley asked, "How do you respond?"
"Are you going to fight, or are you going to give up?" Joseph repeated Staley's words. "Now, that will really tell us what kind of team we have... See where everyone's soul is and take it one day at a time."
That's the message the Chargers' first-year coaches have been trying to house their players since Sunday's loss, a loss that prevents the Chargers (8-7) from taking control of their playoff fate. And now, the Chargers have to win their last two games — starting with Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos at Sophie Stadium (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS).
But even with those wins, the Chargers aren't guaranteed a playoff spot. They would need the Cincinnati Bengals to lose their last two games, or lose one to the Baltimore Ravens. Or the Miami Dolphins have lost at least one game. And if the Chargers lose another game, the scenarios go crazy.
it's confusing. And nobody wants that. But it could have been prevented if the Chargers simply thrashed the lowly Texan.
The Chargers were without many of their best players--- due to COVID-19 running back Austin Eckler, defensive end Joy Bossa, center Corey Linsley and wide receiver Mike Williams. He was also without perhaps his most important defender, Pro Bowl safety Darwin James Jr., due to a hamstring injury.
And so here they are playing the game of want and expectation, but not making excuses. The Chargers say they have regrouped and are focusing only on the Broncos this week, then next week on the Las Vegas Raiders. And they will have several key players against Denver, including Bossa, Eckeler and likely James.
"He's going positive," Stanley said of James. "He felt a lot better than last week. I hope he plays in this game."
"I guess you're going to have to answer after something's tough," Staley continued. "I think in the NFL, a lot of things can happen. When we left for Houston, I thought we had one of our best practices amidst the conditions. ... I felt really into our approach. There was faith, but then in the game, we didn't have our best stuff.
"In sports, you just have to make sure you tap into as many people as you can and make sure you're playing the way you want to play. Like I said, it's tough in the NFL. The side is there. When there are tough games like this, you have to get away with it quickly, and then push it forward. I think that's what we did this week."
Eckeler, who had pretty harsh COVID-19 symptoms last week but was dropped from the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier this week, was confident he and his team would respond against the Broncos, who won the Denver team in the week. He defeated the Chargers 28-13. 12.
"It's going back to our routine," said Eckler, who has 789 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, while catching 62 passes for 558 yards and seven more to score. "That's what this game comes down to; it's what life comes down to, set back in your routine. If you have a good routine, you can always come back to it to see where to go next." Is."
Joseph said, "To lose like this, the way we lost it. It stings a little."
For Staley, who is one of the more positive coaches in the league, last week was about as down as he had ever felt after the loss. But that defeat will be forgotten with two wins and a little outside help.
"You can only stay connected as a team - the coach, the players ... and I think we are all trying to do the best we can and manage it," he said. "There are a lot of things that are happening for the first time. We're trying to do our best to stay connected, stay positive, and figure it out."