Although the Los Angeles Chargers are already a playoff contender, head coach Brandon Staley sends his most important players onto the field against the Denver Broncos. The meaningless game is lost, three important players get injured. Things could get messy for Staley.

It was the famous Golden Pineapple that the Los Angeles Chargers played for against the Denver Broncos on Sunday night.

While the Broncos had been out of playoff contention for weeks, the Chargers had the AFC’s No. 5 seed locked up before the game even started, as the Baltimore Ravens had lost to the Cincinnati Bengals.

With an eye on the Wild Card game at the Jacksonville Jaguars, head coach Brandon Staley could have spared his most important players.

But he didn’t, which prompted some criticism.

“You want the players to stay in rhythm. But the risk is too big.” “If you lose your top performers, you just have worse cards in the playoffs. “

Chargers: wide receiver Mike Williams injured

And indeed, the Chargers lost several key players at once. Wide receiver Mike Williams suffered a back injury and had to be carted off the field, while linebacker Kenneth Murray suffered a painful bruise.

Defensive end Joey Bosa may also have been injured, leaving the field after a sack of Russell Wilson.

Joey Bosa’s potential injury pic.twitter.com/GG7EFqVKN1

– Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) January 9, 2023

The fact that the Chargers also lost the game 28-31 didn’t make things any better. In the comment columns of the Chargers’ social media accounts, fans raged. “Why the hell are our starters on the field?” was the tenor.

“These are not easy decisions,” Head Coach Staley explained after the game, “In hindsight, everybody out there knows what the right decision would have been. But the games aren’t easy because we didn’t have that many players. We made the best of it. “

Justin Herbert plays until the third quarter

In the third quarter, Staley replaced quarterback Justin Herbert with Chase Daniel, and defensive stars Derwin James Jr. and Khalil Mack got a rest in the final period.

“We wanted to be competitive even though we only had 48 active players,” Staley said. “We wanted to make sure the players were playing at a high level in this game. When we felt it was the right time to take players out, we did that to prepare for the next game.”

The players, however, backed their coach – at least publicly. “We signed for 17 games,” wide receiver Keenan Allen said, “I only played six or seven games this year. For me, it was good to keep playing.”

Everyone on the team wanted to play and do their best, added quarterback Herbert: “We’re behind the front office, the coaching staff. Whatever they decide, we’re 100 per cent on board with it. “

If players drop out, there could be consequences for Staley

X-rays on Mike Williams show no more serious injury, according to “ESPN.” However, it remains to be seen if the receiver will be able to play Sunday in Jacksonville. There are also no updates on Bosa or Murray Jr.

The Chargers are keeping mum on exact diagnoses at this point in the season, of course, which is part of the poker game.

What is clear, however, is that the fate of the struggling trio is closely tied to that of head coach Staley. Despite leading the Chargers to the playoffs for the first time since 2018, the 40-year-old has come under constant criticism. The team is making too little of its potential, is one of the most serious accusations. There is repeated speculation about Staley being sacked after the season.

Should the Chargers now fail in the Wild Card Game, missing one of the banged-up players, it would certainly reflect on Staley.

The game against the Broncos, in which it was really only about the golden pineapple, could then have unforeseen consequences.