Brandon Staley Explains Controversial Fourth Down Decisions

In his first season as the Chargers' head coach, Brandon Staley developed a reputation as one of the most aggressive decision makers in the league.

But during Thursday night's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, the second-year franchise leader somewhat backtracked on that reputation — electing to punt on several getable fourth-down opportunities.

Staley explained his decision making process after the game.

“Just wanted to give our defense a chance to compete,” he said, per NFL.com. “I really loved the way we were playing. I felt like that was the formula to flip the field. I felt like we were aggressive when we needed to be tonight -- we converted all four of our fourth downs. I just felt like, with who is over there and the way our defense is playing, I felt like the field position would be a big edge for our defense to be able to put them back there. I like the way our defense competed tonight.”

The Chargers defense played well, forcing four punts in the first half and holding Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' electric offense to 20 points. It was a 99-yard, goal-line pick six that ultimately made the difference in LA's 24-27 loss.

Staley and the Chargers are now 1-1 after taking down the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1.