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Elliott: Chargers' lament failed brotherhood of talent has led to a broken family

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Elliott: Chargers' lament failed brotherhood of talent has led to a broken family

Where it all went wrong for the Chargers this season was the logical topic to discuss after players exited the field at SoFi Stadium — many likely for the final time with the team — following their season-ending 13-12 loss to the playoff-bound Kansas City Chiefs, who wisely kept their stars out of a meaningless game for them.

Did the Chargers’ season go off track even before it began, when they kept coach Brandon Staley after they had blown a 27-point lead over Jacksonville in an AFC wild-card round loss last January?

Did they mistake close losses early in the season for signs they were near a breakthrough, when they never really were?

They lost their first game by two points, their second by three (in overtime), and, after beating Minnesota and the Raiders, lost by three to Dallas.

Two more narrow defeats — a three-point loss to Detroit on Nov. 12 and another three-point gap at Green Bay on Nov. 19 — seemed to reinforce the notion they weren’t far from winning.

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That was shattered in their unconscionable 63-21 loss at Las Vegas on Dec. 14, which forced owner Dean Spanos to fire Staley and general manager Tom Telesco.

There were more questions than answers Sunday. It was a day of sadness, regret and reflection for a 5-12 team that started the season with optimism and finished with stud quarterback Justin Herbert on the injury list, an interim coach in Giff Smith, a five-game losing streak, and the certainty that the offseason will be marked by massive changes on and off the field.

“Very frustrating and disappointing. Not the way we planned it,” said safety Derwin James, who finished strong with a team-high eight tackles Sunday and a career-best 125 tackles this season. “We lost too many tight, close games.”

Chargers interim head coach Giff Smith walks off the field after losing to the Chiefs. He was 0-3 as interim coach.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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And too many games, period. It probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference if they’d fired Staley sooner, though it couldn’t have been much worse.

“We didn’t meet our expectations,” running back Austin Ekeler said. “There’s too many things to say, ‘This, this, this.’ It was a collective effort and we failed as an organization for multiple reasons.”

Ekeler, who had a modest 11 yards rushing in 10 attempts and 38 receiving yards on seven receptions Sunday, can become an unrestricted free agent and is prominent on the list of players who might not return to the Chargers next season. He called free agency his next journey, a trip that began when he made the roster as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and went on to rack up two 900-yard-plus rushing seasons.

“Haven’t really thought too much about it because I wanted to finish this one before we get on to the next one,” he said, “and now that’s a conversation my team and I will have.”

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He put some of the blame for the team’s failures this season on his own shoulders.

“I learned that I need to be a better leader,” he said. “I can communicate more. I think I was a little too reserved this year and leadership’s hard.

“Leadership is really hard because you’ve got to establish yourself early on as far as how you’re going to lead this team. You can’t all of a sudden switch up and be a new guy. I would like to see myself be more communicative up front this year.”

Knowing that could happen somewhere else contributed to the sadness he felt Sunday.

Chargers wide receiver Derius Davis is surrounded by Chiefs defenders after making his only catch for a gain of 18 yards.

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(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

“Absolutely. Just because I’m not going to be with these guys anymore. It’s one of those journeys that I’ll always remember but sad that it has to end,” he said of the upcoming team-wide changes.

The future was also on the mind of linebacker Khalil Mack, whose sack of Chiefs quarterback Blaine Gabbert was Mack’s 17th this season, the highest single-season total by a Charger since sacks were first tracked in 1982.

It was too soon, Mack said — while the heavily pro-Chiefs crowd was filing out of the stadium and players showered and dressed — for him to objectively sum up an entire season that went so wrong.

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“Fifteen minutes after the game it’s hard to process everything because of the emotions from losing and all those different things,” he said. “Some guys don’t understand this may be our last time playing together and all those different things.

“It was special. It’s always special when you can come together as a brotherhood and play for each other, play for one another and give your all for the man next to you. That’s something I’m not going to take lightly. Every one of these dudes in the locker room means something to me. So I give my all not for myself, but for everybody else.”

And even that wasn’t enough.

There are schematic and analytic points the Chargers can take from this season, but it’s the desolation they felt Sunday that players should most clearly remember — and resolve to not be in a position to feel that way again.

“Definitely motivation for the offseason because, man, I don’t want to go into these offseasons every year with this motivation, or whatever it is,” James said. “We want to really get it done here and it definitely wasn’t the season we wanted to have.”

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Certainly not the way it should have gone.

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Chargers’ Justin Herbert gushes over Madison Beer in heartfelt birthday tribute: ‘Changed my life forever’

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Chargers’ Justin Herbert gushes over Madison Beer in heartfelt birthday tribute: ‘Changed my life forever’

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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert gushed over 27-year-old singer Madison Beer in a heartfelt birthday tribute on social media, offering fans a rare glimpse into the couple’s relationship. 

The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who normally shies away from the public eye, posted a series of photos to his Instagram Stories on Thursday. 

Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers warms up prior to a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 8, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)

“Happy birthday to my favorite person of all time,” Herbert wrote in a post that showed the couple on the sidelines of one of his NFL games. “I love you so much. You’ve changed my life forever.”

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In another photo appearing to show the couple out to dinner, Herbert wrote, “I am the luckiest guy alive…”

Herbert, who turns 28 later this month, shared another photo of the “Make You Mine” artist petting goats and captioned the photo, “My goats.”

The couple was first linked together in August when they were spotted together on the set of one of Beer’s music videos in Los Angeles. Herbert and Beer were photographed in October on the sidelines of a Chargers game at SoFi Stadium, seemingly confirming the dating rumors. 

Quarterback Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and singer Madison Beer attend an NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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The same month, Herbert went viral after blocking a rogue basketball from hitting Beer when the two sat courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.  

Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the Chargers in July 2023. Despite proving himself to be one of the elite young quarterbacks in the NFL, Los Angeles’ offensive struggles have seen the team fall short in back-to-back playoff appearances.

Quarterback Justin Herbert (10) of the Los Angeles Chargers blocks a basketball from hitting Madison Beer as they attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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 The team’s offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, was fired in January and replaced with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who is regarded as one of the top offensive minds in football. 

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Shohei Ohtani’s second-inning grand slam propels Japan to a rout in World Baseball Classic opener

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Shohei Ohtani’s second-inning grand slam propels Japan to a rout in World Baseball Classic opener

The last time Shohei Ohtani was seen wearing a World Baseball Classic uniform with “Japan” across his chest, he was striking out Mike Trout of the United States on a ninth-inning, full-count slider to give his country a victory in the championship game three years ago.

So much has happened in Ohtani’s life between then and now. He has a wife and a daughter, a new interpreter, a new Major League team, two World Series championships and three more Most Valuable Player awards.

Yet unforgettable WBC memories continue. This time, he delivered from the batter’s box instead of the pitcher’s mound.

In the second inning of Japan’s WBC opener against Chinese Taipei on Friday at the Tokyo Dome, Ohtani smacked a hanging curve a few feet over the right-field wall for a grand slam, triggering an offensive onslaught that resulted in a 13-0 victory.

“I thought it might land as an out, so above all, I really wanted to get the first run on the board,” Ohtani told reporters afterward.

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Ohtani led off the game with a double and singled in his second at-bat of the second inning, when Japan put up a WBC-record 10 runs. He added a run-scoring single in the third inning, giving him five runs batted in.

In 2023, Ohtani hit and pitched Japan to the WBC title, batting .435 with eight RBIs and allowing only two earned runs in 9 2/3 innings on the mound. This year, he will only bat, saving his pitching for the Dodgers, who begin their quest for a third consecutive World Series title in three weeks.

Japan’s starting pitcher Friday was a decorated Dodger nevertheless. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, MVP of the 2025 World Series, threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, walking three and striking out two while giving up no hits.

His command wasn’t pinpoint — he threw 53 pitches, 33 for strikes — but it is still spring training, even though the atmosphere was electric for Japanese players competing in front of a crowd of 42,314 that included actor Timothy Chalamet and superstar Bad Bunny.

“I know there will be some tough battles ahead, but if the fans and the team can unite and everyone can help build the excitement together, it will really encourage us,” Ohtani said.

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Russell Wilson escalates feud with Sean Payton, labels Broncos coach ‘classless’

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Russell Wilson escalates feud with Sean Payton, labels Broncos coach ‘classless’

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Russell Wilson and Sean Payton spent just one NFL season together, but tension lingered after a rocky year.

And it appears the tension that built up from that tumultuous stretch continues to linger.

Wilson’s interview on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast, recorded before last month’s Super Bowl between Seattle and New England, recently resurfaced. 

In the interview, Wilson doubled down on his October comment labeling Payton “classless,” saying he felt slighted by his former coach’s remarks.

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Head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos talks to quarterback Russell Wilson on the sideline during an NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium Aug. 11, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

“[When] you’ve been on the same side or this and that, and I got the same amount of rings as you got, meaning Sean, right?” said Wilson, who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks as Payton did coaching for the New Orleans Saints. 

“I got a lot of respect for him as a play-caller, this and that, but to take a shot, I don’t like. I don’t think it’s necessary, you know, I mean, especially when I’m not even on your own team anymore. So, for me, there’s a point in time where you have to, I’ve realized, I’ve stayed quiet for so long. There’s a there’s a time and place where I’m not.

“I know who I am as a competitor, as a warrior, as a champion, too, and, you know, I’ve beaten Sean, too. You know, like we’ve been on the same place and the same thing. And so, it’s not a matter of disrespect. Just don’t disrespect me.”

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Sean Payton and Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos during an a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Empower Field at Mile High Nov. 19, 2023, in Denver, Colo. (Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

After a rocky one-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, Wilson joined the New York Giants last offseason. However, he was relegated to a backup role after just three games.

Rookie Jaxson Dart quickly showed promise once he had the chance to start, but his season was briefly derailed by injury. Jameis Winston — not Wilson — stepped in for Dart in a handful of games. Dart threw three touchdowns in a Week 7 matchup with the Broncos, nearly pulling off an upset in what was eventually a close loss.

After the game, Payton said Dart provided a “spark” to the Giants’ offense.

“I was talking to [Giants owner] John Mara not too long ago, and I said, ‘We were hoping that that change would have happened long after our game,’” Payton said.

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The New York Giants’ Russell Wilson attempts to escape a sack by Dallas Cowboys defensive end James Houston (53) in the first half of a game Sept. 14, 2025, in Arlington, Texas.  (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Payton also said the Broncos would have faced less of a challenge had Wilson been under center.

“Classless … but not surprised,” Wilson responded in a social media post. “Didn’t realize you’re still bounty hunting 15+ years later though the media.”

Despite last season’s struggles and chatter about his football future, Wilson does not appear ready to call it quits in 2026.

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“I wanna play a few more years for sure,” he said. “I think, for me, I’ve always had the vision of getting to 40, at least. I think the game is different. Quarterbacks, we get hit. It’s not, you know, we get hit hard, but … there’s certain rules. I mean, back in the day when I started, bro, it was you just get [clobbered]. 

“I mean, so I feel like the game allows you to, you know, live a little longer, I guess. I feel healthy. I feel great. But I think, more than anything else is, do you love the game? Do you love studying? Do you love the passion for it all? Do you love the process? Do you love the practice? Do you love — everybody loves the winning part of it, but it’s process. There’s a journey that you got to be obsessed with. And that part I’m obsessed with.”

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