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The Chargers escaped Cleveland at 3-2 with a 30-28 victory over the Browns.
But a essential choice through head trainer Brandon Staley produced an negative outcome — and just about price Los Angeles a victory.
The Chargers had fourth-and-1 at their very own 46-yard line with just 1:14 left in the game. The Browns didn’t have the talent to forestall the clock, so a primary down would have successfully ended the game. But no longer changing on fourth down would give the Browns extraordinarily favorable box place with a kicker who nailed a game-winning 58-yard try in Week One.
Conventional knowledge would have mentioned to punt it away, particularly since the Browns are lately enjoying their backup quarterback. Or if the Chargers had been going to pass for it, working the ball would had been a excellent choice as L.A. used to be averaging 7.0 yards in keeping with lift.
But the Chargers didn’t do both of the ones issues. Quarterback Justin Herbert’s go to receiver Mike Williams used to be damaged up and fell incomplete, giving Cleveland the ball in plus-territory.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett finished a 10-yard go to receiver Amari Cooper, which arrange a 54-yard, game-winning try for rookie Cade York.
York’s kick sailed extensive proper, bailing the Chargers out.
After the game, Staley used to be requested about his choice.
“I just wanted to finish the game with the ball,” he mentioned, by means of Jake Trotter of ESPN. “I felt like we liked the play and we liked the matchup. We knew what coverage they were going to be in. We wanted to finish the game on our terms on third down. We felt like we had a good runup against that defense. We had a pass solution. They defended it well.
“Then on fourth down, it just really felt like the slant to Mike was going to be the play call there. It just didn’t go down for us, but I had a lot of confidence in our defense to go out there and get them stopped. That was a big motive because we knew that they would have to throw the ball to beat us. We felt like we could cover them.”
While neither Los Angeles’ offense nor its protection in point of fact were given the activity performed at the finish of the game, Staley persevered through pronouncing, “I love the way that our team finished that game.
“Obviously, the storybook would have been just to finish it right there and walk to victory lane, but that’s not how it went,” Staley mentioned. “We had to go play defense. We had to go defend and our defense ended up winning us the game with that takeaway and that stop at the end of the game.”
Staley’s choice used to be even wondered on Twitter through receiver Keenan Allen, who used to be out with a hamstring damage.
Fortunately for the Chargers, they nonetheless got here away with the win.