If the Chargers wouldn’t have defeated the Raiders on Thursday night, I believed that coach Anthony Lynn would’ve been out of a job the following day.
Like any other given game, Lynn made some head-scratching decisions, starting with the inability to unleash quarterback Justin Herbert. Despite the fact that he was lighting up a poor secondary all night, Herbert was held to one pass….in the entire fourth quarter.
The running game was nonexistent. However, Los Angeles still resorted it quite often while Herbert made the most with the majority of his passes. Why not continue to roll with what’s working?
The most notable was in the special teams department, by no surprise. When it seemed like Lynn, who took over the unit last weekend, was starting to turn things around, it backfired as kicker Michael Badgely missed tie-breaking tries from 47 and 51 yards, both in the fourth quarter.
Why settle for field goals in those situations when the special teams has been poor and Badgley has been under 50% on field goals of 45+ yards in his career? Go for it and trust Herbert to get the team in a better position.
L.A. ended up beating Las Vegas in overtime, but it was all because Herbert was too good, which was enough to mask the poor in-game decisions made by Lynn.
Nonetheless, the negatives outweigh the positives and 16 losses in 21 one-score games should speak for itself.
The Chargers have had a roster that’s been ready to contend for a deep run the past couple of seasons. But the coaching is what’s holding them back from reaching their true potential. If the organization decides to keep Lynn beyond this season, they’re making a big mistake.
If and when Los Angeles fires Lynn, the vacancy should attract a handful of coaches and coordinators.