Watching the Chargers vs. Packers game from the sidelines on crutches, Joey Bosa hangs his head. He was carted off the field after suffering a right foot injury in the first quarter.

 

The Chargers’ 23–20 road loss to the Green Bay Packers may have put an end to their hopes of making the playoffs.

The Rams, meanwhile, managed to recover and defeat the Seattle Seahawks 17–16 to clinch a sweep. Columnist Helene Elliott, beat writer for the Chargers Jeff Miller, and beat writer Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times talk about the outcome and future prospects:

 

Miller: The Chargers ran far too many losing plays on Sunday to attribute this one just to that penalty. By the way, Samuel stated after the game that he believed the pass was uncatchable.

After that call, the Chargers still had an opportunity to stop Green Bay, but they missed it. After that call, they also missed an opportunity to tie or take the lead.

This was basically a bad performance all around from a team that isn’t good enough to pull through bad performances.

Miller: With all the dead-cap money hanging over their heads, the Chargers are going to have to do some serious financial acrobatics throughout the summer.

Without a doubt, one player whose future is uncertain is Bosa. The most pressing question at hand, though, is who will be taking those actions.

It is possible that head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco will be fired, giving someone else the opportunity to retool the roster.

Miller: As Staley attempted to bring safety Derwin James Jr. closer to the line of scrimmage more frequently, the Chargers employed safety Dean Marlowe much more extensively on Sunday against the Packers, while linebacker Eric Kendricks and cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor saw a decrease in playing time.

Even if the outcomes were better, Jordan Love was still able to pass for 322 yards against the Chargers.

I’ve believed the Chargers should apply more pressure on opposing quarterbacks to accelerate their game throughout the whole season.

Their defense’s back end simply hasn’t shown itself to be capable of covering receivers on a regular enough basis.

Klein: This is a delusion. For whatever reason, when Kupp is off the field, Nacua seems to perform better than him.Nacua appears to be Matthew Stafford’s primary receiver as a result, which leads to more targets for him.

Still, the Rams require Nacua and Kupp. Defensive coordinators from other teams would be happy to face the Rams without having to take into consideration both of them.

 

Elliott: That was most likely a result of both his excellent effort by the line and his realization that he had to grab the opportunity.

 

Klein: Kyren Williams is due to return from injured reserve on Sunday against the Cardinals, so yes perhaps Freeman wanted to make a statement that there was no need to remove him from the lineup. Or at least make him the primary rotational back. Regardless, he showed he can contribute.

Klein: There have been few if any concerns about Ernest Jones since he established himself as a starter midway through his rookie season in 2021.

He took a back seat to veteran Bobby Wagner in 2022 but he is the defensive signal caller and, along with defensive lineman Aaron Donald and safety Jordan Fuller, the heart of the Rams defense.

Miller: During his rookie season, Zay Flowers’ high for receiving yards in a game is 78. I’d take the over in this game for the Baltimore wideout.

Drafted immediately after the Chargers took Quentin Johnston, Flowers is speedy and elusive and just the sort of weapon Jackson could use to drive the Chargers crazy.

The Chargers likely are going to have to reach the upper 20s to have a chance. The Ravens have allowed more than 24 points only once — a 33-31 loss to Cleveland in Week 10.

 

Klein: A quarterback who can make plays out of the pocket, or at the very least, a scrambler. This season, Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, and Anthony Richardson all caused issues for the Rams.

Six of the seven games Murray started against the Rams were won by the Rams, demonstrating their relative dominance against Murray. However, Murray destroyed them at SoFi Stadium in a 2021 triumph.

 

Elliott: I concur. Since scramblers can be so elusive and unpredictable, I believe Kyler Murray will be a significant obstacle.