Derwin James gets brutally honest about the Chargers’ defense after the loss to the Chiefs

Derwin James gets brutally honest about the Chargers’ defense after the loss to the Chiefs

The LA Chargers pushed the Kansas City Chiefs to their limits, but it wasn’t enough. A lucky left post miss and some questionable refereeing late in the game punctuated the Chargers’ 19-17 loss to the Chiefs Football on Sunday evenings.

However, no one in the Chargers locker room is blaming any of these things for the loss. Jim Harbaugh has built a culture of accountability where there is no room for excuses, even if they may be justified.

Just ask Derwin James. James and the Chargers defense played an outstanding game and with better luck down the stretch they could have ended the game with a win. Instead, the Chargers lost and James is only focused on what the Chargers defense did wrong, not what it did right.

You’ll feel sick. That’s exactly how every Chargers fan feels after watching another winnable game slip through the cracks against the Chiefs.

James isn’t wrong, there were key moments late in the fourth quarter that could have turned the entire game around if they had gone differently. Whether it was a jump pass after escaping pressure or a dart to Travis Kelce to tie the game, the Chiefs made key plays in key moments on the final drive to win the game.

The most notable mistake the Chagrers made late in the game was Daiyan Henley. Henley had a clear line against Mahomes rolling right out of the pocket and could have forced the Chiefs into a field goal if he had just played the ball and deflected a pass.

Instead, Henley charged at Mahomes like a raging bull, only for the quarterback to yank his red jersey out of the way at the last second. Henley fell to the grass while Mahomes found Kelce in the first round. From then on, all the Chiefs had to do was put the clock on ice and kick the field goal.

Unfortunately, the defense has to live with moments like this because the unit was exceptional for much of the game. Jesse Minter’s defense lived up to the best defense in the sport and stifled the Chiefs for most of the game. Even in the win, the Chiefs only had 298 yards of total offense.

Things may not have gone the way the Chargers did on Sunday, but the defense will learn from those mistakes and get better because of them. And if the Chargers actually get a chance to face the Chiefs in the NFL Playoffs, the defense won’t make the same mistakes again.

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