Look how they massacred my boy…
A few years ago, while waiting for a table at Craig’s restaurant in West Hollywood, my friend Tommy the maître d’ (who is now at Sinatra’s in the Wynn, an amazing place, go and say hello) informed me James Caan was waiting near the bar. Tommy knew I was a fan of , suggesting I go over and say hello, which I did. After the pleasantries, I said to Caan, each time I rewatch , I warn you not to go to the toll plaza. I scream at the television, “It’s a trap.” And you still go. Caan laughed and said, “Trust me, I wish I never went either.” Last night, when the Chargers got the ball with 2:23 to go in the half, after stopping the Cowboys on fourth-and-inches at their own 13-yard line, and all their timeouts remaining, I screamed to the television, “Don’t screw this up!” And much like Sonny Corleone, they didn’t listen.
Nine plays later, they are punting the ball back to the Boys with 1:09 left in the half. To most fans, no big deal, right? They called eight passes and completed four of them, which means they stopped the clock four times and never forced the Cowboys to use a timeout. The Cowboys had two timeouts when they received the punt on their 29-yard line.
After the celebrations of stopping the Cowboys in the red zone, the Chargers' main objective when their offense took the field should have been to never give the ball back to the Cowboys. They needed to control the middle eight with their play calling and situational awareness. But knowing Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, and head coach Brandon Staley, you realize controlling the middle eight isn’t part of their program. So, naturally, they went into halftime down 10-7. Those three points ended up being the difference in the game. Like Sonny from , even when warned, the outcome never changes.
Winning close games for the Chargers has never been easy. Winning the second half has been even harder for quarterback Justin Herbert. After last night’s three-point loss, the Chargers under Staley are 6-9 in games decided by three points or less. They're currently on a four-game losing streak in those situations. Their last win in a close game came last year when they beat the Malik Willis-led Titans 17-14 after Ryan Tannehill was injured. Herbert has been awful in the second half, going 7-24-2 ATS when leading at halftime. It’s fair to say the Chargers don’t win close games and cannot win second halves. So why would we ever bet them in a three-point or less game? If we do, we end up like Sonny at the toll plaza.