OC Joe Lombardi is let go by the Chargers following their playoff exit. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Chargers announced they had let go of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and quarterbacks coach Shane Day.
After a 10-7 season and a shocking loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-30 in the wild-card playoff game on Saturday, it was widely believed that head coach Brandon Staley would change his staff.
As a result, the Chargers went into halftime leading 27-0 but managed only three points the rest of the way.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Staley and general manager Tom Telesco will talk to the press.
The Bolts’ offense disappointed season after season, ranking 18th in the NFL, despite the talent of quarterback Justin Herbert, who this year surpassed Andrew Luck for the most passing yards by a quarterback through his first three NFL seasons.
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The run game and the red zone were where they routinely fell short.
Average rushing yards per game (89.6, 30th) and yards per rush attempt (4.3), both for the Chargers, rated towards the bottom of the NFL (3.8, 30th). Only 54.1% of Chargers possessions ended in touchdowns inside the red zone (17th in the NFL), while their goal-to-go percentage was only 65.6%. (23rd).
The offense was seventh-worst in the league, with a minus-48 scoring differential in the second half.
Despite being third in Total QBR last season (behind only Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers), Herbert dropped to 11th in the NFL this year. In his third professional season, Herbert has thrown 25 touchdowns, down from 38 in his second year. Herbert’s arm strength is among his best attributes, but the Chargers’ inability to consistently generate big plays downfield limited his average to 6.78 yards per pass attempt (26th).
Herbert played in the following games despite suffering a fractured rib cartilage late in a Week 2 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Throughout the season, the offense also lost numerous key players to severe injuries.
Due to injury, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams only played together in four games (23% of snaps), and Williams missed the wild-card playoff game after sustaining a slight fracture to his back in Week 18.
Left tackle Rashawn Slater, nominated to the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2021, was injured in Week 3 with a torn left biceps tendon, further weakening the offensive line, which ranked near the bottom of the league in pass block and ran block victory percentages. As a result of injury, veteran starters at center Corey Linsley and correct tackle Trey Pipkins III sat out three games for the Chargers.
Herbert, who will be selected sixth overall in the 2020 NFL draught, can now negotiate a new deal with his team. He is expected to become the highest-paid quarterback by a wide margin, with annual earnings of over $50 million.
Staley hired Lombardi and Day, who was also the passing game coordinator, shortly after he became head coach in 2021.
