Anthony Lynn on Chargers’ Close Losses: ‘We’ve Been Kicked in the Gut 6 Times’

Jason Behnken/Associated Press

The Los Angeles Chargers couldn’t capitalize on two plays from the 4-yard line with under 10 seconds remaining and lost to the Las Vegas Raiders 31-26.

This was the Chargers’ sixth loss of 2020, all of which have been by seven points or fewer.

“We’ve been kicked in the gut six times,” head coach Anthony Lynn told reporters after the game. “That’s six times too many for me.”

Lynn told his players the odds will have to turn in their favor at some point.

“I told the guys just keep competing,” he said. “They did what I asked them to do. They competed for four quarters. I thought they were resilient and I thought they bounced back. I thought they played for one another. I do know if you continue to do that, at some point good things will happen.”

Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho famously labeled legendary rival Arsene Wenger a “specialist in failure.” That’s a description that would also apply to the Chargers, whose bad luck dates back beyond the start of Lynn’s tenure in 2017.

Sunday’s result was particularly painful because Justin Herbert had completed a 16-yard pass to Mike Williams inside 30 seconds to put the offense in a great position for the go-ahead score. On the final play of the game, Donald Parham Jr. was initially ruled to have caught a game-winning touchdown pass, but the call was overturned upon further review.

Lynn is probably right in that this can’t keep happening forever. If history has shown anything, though, you can’t rule out the Chargers finding new ways to break their fans’ hearts before then.