On Sunday night, Chargers’ head coach Brandon Staley called what might have been the most dubious timeout in sports history since the Chris Webber “timeout” of the 1993 NCAA Final Four.
Staley’s timeout with 38 seconds remaining in overtime might have pushed the Raiders to abandon any willingness to take a tie – which would have sent both teams to the playoffs.
We’ll never know how the game would have played out if Staley hadn’t called a timeout, but it does appear that NBC cameras caught Raiders’ long snapper Trent Sieg telling Chargers’ running back Austin Ekeler that Staley’s timeout had an affect on something.
The conversation was recorded after the game and Ekeler definitely looks like he just learned that his coach cost his team a trip to the playoffs.
With Daniel Carlson’s game-winning kick, the Raiders were bumped up to the no. 5 seed in the playoffs and earned a trip to Cincinnati for the first round of the playoffs. Had the Raiders tied, they would have traveled to Kansas City in round one to play the Chiefs.
For all the speculation about what the Raiders might have done (or should have done), they made the right decision to try to eliminate their division rival and avoid the Chiefs in round one.
As for the Chargers, they have been national media darlings all year. Can we finally talk about how overrated Staley is as a head coach?
twitter: @raidersbeat
All I have to say about this debacle is 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😇😘enjoy the golf course dolts‼️⛳ 🤣🤣🤣🤣
No way on the tie! That could come back to bite us in the ***. I would have hated seeing the Chargers again in the playoffs! Best we took care of business last night! Go Raiders!!!
I think the Head Coach made a bad mistake calling for a timeout I am raiders fan and I father seen San Diego go to the playoffs than Pittsburgh because they have been playing sorry football against teams that’s haven’t been too good San Diego deserve to be playing in the playoffs they are a better team than Pittsburgh is . that’s real talk I promise you . thanks
It is what it is. Whoever leaked this as story needs to be more responsible.
Oh. I agree 100% . The Chargers coach , calling that timeout , definitely cost them a playoff berth . But. The Raiders are in , and that’s all that counts . JUST WIN BABY !!!
Definitive the Coaching performance of the Chargers lat night help us to obtain the victory
Rex Ryan!!?? Please get someone with more credibility.
Rex Ryan and Staley are idiots!
Well Nation… Here we are, baby! This is what we have lacked in our lives for so long! This is what it feels like not just to sneak in, but to end up a five seed and to honestly feel like we deserve to be here; that the playoffs haven’t been the same without US! No more ‘Carr is not our guy’; no more ‘Jacobs can’t do it in crunch time’; and definitely no more ‘Raiders cantt throw the ball unless it’s to Waller’!! I don’t know about anyone else but I haven’t been this excited about our passing game since Gannon had Rice and TB! We are here, Nation! And don’t you love how we celebrated but not too much! I seriously believe that Joe Burrow is in a world of trouble this weekend cuz Mad Maxx and company are going to wreck havoc on him and Mixon! Oh yeah and one more ‘kudos’… how about the way that offensive line held up? Thanks Bosa, you and your mouth can tune in this weekend and watch how ‘soft’ DC is! I could go on forever but we gotta play in five more days! I love you, Nation! RAIDER 4 LIFE!!
The chargers playoff hopes were SEALED when they lost to the Texans!!! You don’t deserve the playoffs loosing to a (non division)4-14 team. Stupid penalties and drop catches don’t help either. Same old chargers just a 9-8 team the doesn’t deserve to be there.
Once again the Raiders could have won by more than two scores but we went into prevent defense or whatever they want to call it at the beginning of the fourth quarter and almost cost us the game we need to stick with the tough defense to the last couple minutes of the game at least!!!!
I saw a turnaround early in the season that I thought would be the turning point for the franchise.Finishing/closing out the 4th quarter, but the old Raiders show up with the team dilemmas. But I think they’ve turned the corner again on closing out the game. Hats off to CARR’S FOCUS on putting them in a position to win and nothing to say about team MVP K Carlson. But the team as a hole is starting to recognize itself again as a CONTENDER ! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
1st off let me say that Rex Ryan is washed up sub-par coach (who wont ever get chance 2 coach again) who should keep his comments 2 game details only. Clearly his opinions mean s**t any longer n his statement about Chargers losing 2 Raiders a team they are way better than is as much a joke as was his career.
2nd Lets remember that a large amount of offense (total yards) gained by Chargers came on a multitude of 4th down plays whereby average yards needed were more than 11 yards. These also allowed 4 drives 2 continue n scores 2 occur. Had they not been extremely fortunate on most or all those wish n prayer plays the Raiders have easy win n their Defense would show very impressive stat line.
The QB Fatty Ryan says we were unjustly slighted from seeing in play-offs was 34-64 passing against Raiders with a bunch coming on close-ur-eyes lengthy 4th down prayers that had it not been 4 strange kinda night would have normally resulted with Herbert finishing completion percentage under 50 percent n Chargers total offense with less than impressive stat line. Lets remember that not for weird abnormal occurrences Raiders had this game in hand keeping Chargers held down unlike the horrible description made by Fatty Ryan n his opinion about the Chargers being substantially better team than Raiders. But considering all the offers to get back into coaching that Fatty has to turn down we will take his opinions for what they are WORTHLESS.
Finally, everyone can analyze game, the what-ifs, n guess on what Raiders were thinking or would have done, but the simple fact is this the Raiders were the better team all night, beat the Chargers, n as such Chargers did not make it to post season, dont deserve to play further n no amount of blubber from one Rex Ryan will change that. ESPN would do better to employ people with more football knowledge (finishing with at least at or better than .500 careeer coaching record) n sharing more accurate game time opinions with the nation watching.
If espn wishes to share incompetent coaches personal n erroneous opinions that contradict that of what transpires during game they should just provide these loons their own blogs with links provided in-game on espn so anyone drunk enough or bored enough can travel there n hear Fatty Ryan for a good laugh n catch his laughable analyzing of games.
N for everyone saying Chargers deserved 2 be in playoffs more than Steelers let me remind u that Pittsburg won their game n no team should lose or tie backing their way into post season. If that is the type of team u want then it says a lot about your character, ambitions, n drive n you are the last person Id want in trenches with me n game on the line in life or on the field.
This post was SPOT ON !!
“Fatty Ryan” LOL was clearly exposing his butt hurt pride that Staley is a head coach and HE (“Fatty Ryan”) is not. What an A-hole dissing Staley the way he did. Sure Staley made mistakes, as all coaches do. Is Fatty Ryan trying to insinuate that he never made a mistake when he was a head coach?
Actually you’re post was better than mine, but it’s the way I was feeling when I was listening to “Fatty Ryan” talk, so I thought I’d throw in my two cents.
On his calling a timeout with 38 seconds remaining in OT and his going for it on 4th and 1 from his own 18 yard line, all I will say is: “LET’S GO BRANDON!!!!!”
LOL !!! LET’S GO BRANDON !!!
I was wrong about the Raiders losing the last two games. But I’m glad I was wrong. I sure hated to see Herbert converting all those 4th downs. I was thinking at that point the Raiders were losers for sure. But, hey….they pulled it out. And Derek Carr did NOT fold in crunch time. He silenced the haters…for NOW. Carr and the Raiders can’t be a one and done playoff team if they want to KEEP the haters away. And the HC needs to win at least ONE playoff game to keep his job. If they lose on Saturday, my money says Harbaugh is our next HC. So we’ll see….
Ryan and Staley…two peas in a pod!