Did Poor Clock Management Lead to Chargers Loss to Chiefs?

Valentina Martinez | Sep 30, 2024

Sep 29, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sidelines in the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After a strong first quarter, the Los Angeles Chargers lost 17-10 to the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday. There were several reasons the Chargers fell short, one being head coach Jim Harbaugh's game management.

In the third quarter, Harbaugh chose to challenge a third-and-11 completion from quarterback Patrick Mahomes to receiver Justin Watson.

As a result, the Chargers lost their first timeout of the second half with just under nine minutes remaining since the challenge failed.

"I thought the ball had touched the ground and the one hand come off … felt like it was a big enough play to challenge and get ourselves organized on defense," Harbaugh said via the team transcript.

Harbaugh revealed the Chargers were having headset communication issues, which may have added to the poor decisions. Harbaugh added he was unsure whether players understood defensive coordinator Jesse Minter's play call.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Chargers were at the Chiefs 7-yard line with a third-and-5. Herbert connected with Joshua Palmer for four yards. Palmer made the catch, but as he tumbled, appeared to roll over for extra yardage before being touched by a Chiefs player.

The referees declared Palmer was short one yard of the first down. Harbaugh chose not to challenge the play but instead called a timeout.

With the play clock winding down, the Chargers took their second timeout of the second half. If he had decided to challenge, Harbaugh could've stopped the clock.

"In hindsight, I wish I would have challenged it in lieu of a timeout," Harbaugh said.

It is important to note that if he had challenged the play and lost, it would've been the same result as calling a timeout.

The Chargers went for it on fourth down but were not successful. Herbert's fourth-down pass was incomplete. The Chargers never returned to the red zone after that play.

"I don't like to lose … but I wish I could have done better for our guys," Harbaugh said.

The Chiefs touchdown drive could've been avoided had the Chargers not burned their timeouts. Harbaugh couldn't stop the clock more than once since there weren't any timeouts remaining.

Mahomes kneeled out the clock and that was the game. If the Chargers had the opportunity to create one more possession, it would've given Herbert a chance to do something. But the timeouts were already used.

It's easy to call out the faults of a coach once the game is over. It's much harder to make in-game decisions in a tight game. However, Harbaugh's mishap surrounding the play clock certainly cost the Chargers a few missed opportunities.

A loss to the Chiefs was predictable, but this loss hurt more. It was a game the Chargers could've won, and quite frankly, should've won.

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