Chargers’ feats in loss to Broncos: Khalil Mack sack mark, next season schedule is set
DENVER — It was New Year’s Eve, and the Chargers were going to celebrate old school.
That is, at least one of them was.
Edge rusher Khalil Mack joked after his team’s 16-9 loss to Denver that there’d be a reception for him upon returning to Southern California.
“The wife [will be] waiting on me at the crib,” he said. “She’s probably going to have some balloons or something.”
The occasion was Mack’s 100th career sack, one of the few highlights as the Chargers (5-11) lost their fourth game in a row and seventh in eight games.
The moment came in the second quarter when, working against guard Ben Powers, Mack pushed his way into Jarrett Stidham’s general space, dropping the Denver quarterback.
Matthew Stafford passed for more than 300 yards, overcoming two interceptions as the Rams capitalized on a botched Giants two-point conversion attempt in a 26-25 win.
“It was definitely weird,” Mack said. “But I’ll take it.”
He is the fifth active player to reach 100 sacks and the 43rd all time. Sunday marked Mack’s 150th NFL game.
“It’s a landmark number,” interim coach Giff Smith said. “You do the basic math; it’s crazy. … Grateful that I got to be a part of it.”
Mack, 32 and his 10th year, has 16 sacks for the season, which is a career best. He is one short of tying the franchise single-season record shared by Shawne Merriman and Leslie O’Neal.
Calling Sunday “bittersweet,” Mack explained that he would have preferred to hit 100 in a victory.
He entered the game with 99½, which he reached Dec. 3 at New England. Mack then went three games without a sack.
Breaking down the notable numbers behind the Chargers’ 16-9 road loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday — scoring and statistics.
“Definitely a little weight off just understanding you want to hit that milestone,” he said. “Ultimately, you want to win the ballgame so it can feel extra good afterward.”
Although the score remained tight, the Chargers weren’t especially close to beating the Broncos. But they did have an unsuccessful onside kick attempt in the final two minutes.
Their offensive production consisted of three Cameron Dicker field goals. They reached the red zone only once and finished two of 11 on third down.
With the results around the league Sunday, the opponents for the Chargers’ 2024 season are now set.
The home games: Kansas City, Denver, Las Vegas, Baltimore, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Tampa Bay and Tennessee.
The road games: Kansas City, Denver, Las Vegas, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Carolina, New England and Arizona.
“I’m just really frustrated,” backup quarterback Easton Stick said. “I think we all are because we don’t have the results right now. We’re not winning football games, and that hurts.”
The Chargers played without their top three wide receivers as Keenan Allen (heel) and Joshua Palmer (concussion) were unavailable. Mike Williams (knee) was lost for the season in Week 3.
Two other starters — linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. (shoulder) and left guard Zion Johnson (neck) — sat out their first games of the season. Nick Niemann and Jordan McFadden started in their spots, respectively.
Filling in for injured quarterback Justin Herbert, Stick finished 24 of 38 for 220 yards.
The lowlight for the defense came midway through the second quarter when Denver wide receiver Lil’ Jordan Humphrey weaved through the secondary and then dived across the goal line to cap a 54-yard touchdown reception.
Chargers president of football operations John Spanos says salaries are not a factor in a search for a new coach and GM. Neither is who is hired first
Essang Bassey, Alohi Gilman, Michael Davis and Asante Samuel Jr. all had shots at Humphrey, but the Chargers couldn’t stop him before he reached the end zone.
When he caught the ball, Next Gen Stats gave Humphrey a 0.2% chance of scoring.
The Chargers also had a glaring special-teams miscue when a fake punt failed in the second quarter. Facing fourth and one at their 44-yard line, they attempted the fake but Niemann, who was lined up as a blocker, mishandled the snap.
“Honestly, I just dropped the ball,” Niemann said. “That’s on me. I was just looking to see where I could find a crease, and I bobbled it.”
With only the regular-season finale at home against Kansas City remaining, the Chargers’ search for a new general manager and head coach will become the focus.
What the Chargers new coach and general manager will inherit. Their costly, unsuccessful roster needs to be revamped and some big names might have to go.
One of the top names among potential candidates could become available as soon as Monday. If Michigan loses to Alabama in the Rose Bowl, Jim Harbaugh’s future will become an immediate story.
Harbaugh, who went 44-19-1 in four seasons as San Francisco’s coach from 2011 to 2014, interviewed two years ago with Minnesota and last year with Denver. He spent the final two seasons of his playing career — 1999-2000 — with the Chargers.
Whatever the Chargers do as it relates to hiring a coach and general manager, they’ll have to adhere to the NFL’s Rooney Rule regarding interviewing minority candidates.
The league also now prohibits in-person meetings with coaches employed by other NFL teams until after the divisional round of the playoffs — Jan. 20 and 21.
Virtual interviews can be conducted earlier. So, too, can in-person interviews with internal candidates.
It appears unlikely that anyone currently on the Chargers’ staff would be seriously considered for the head-coaching job.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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