Sports
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.
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)
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.”
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.
(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.
“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.”
Certainly not the way it should have gone.
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Sherrone Moore’s booking photo was released about a week after the former Michigan Wolverines football coach was fired from his job and arrested on several charges.
Fox News Digital obtained the booking photo of Moore on Thursday. The picture showed a red-eyed Moore appearing downcast in the Washtenaw County Jail in Michigan.
Sherrone Moore’s booking photo was obtained by Fox News Digital on Dec. 18, 2025. (Washtenaw County Jail)
The photo’s release came as new details emerged in the Moore scandal, including allegations that he “had a long history of domestic violence” against the staffer with whom he allegedly maintained an inappropriate, yearslong relationship.
Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital revealed allegations made by the staffer’s attorney, Heidi Sharp, on the day that Moore allegedly entered her home without permission, which later resulted in his arrest.
Moore appeared in a Washtenaw County court on Friday, where his bond was set at $25,000 and included several conditions, including no contact with the alleged victim in the case. A not guilty plea was entered for him.
Prosecutors detailed the alleged events that led up to Moore’s arrest, including that Moore had engaged in an “intimate relationship” with the Michigan staffer for “a number of years” and that the woman had broken up with him two days before his arrest.
Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore appears via video in court in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Dec. 12, 2025. (Ryan Sun/AP Photo)
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL RECRUITS DE-COMMIT FROM PROGRAM AMID SHERRONE MOORE SCANDAL
Prosecutors accused Moore of contacting the staffer via phone calls and texts after the breakup, prompting the victim to contact the University of Michigan and cooperate in its investigation. Moore was subsequently fired from his position as head football coach, which prosecutors said prompted him to show up at the woman’s home.
Moore then allegedly “barged” his way into the residence, grabbed a butter knife and a pair of scissors and then began threatening his own life. According to prosecutors, Moore allegedly told the staffer, “My blood is on your hands” and “You ruined my life.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Moore’s attorney for comment.
Moore faces a felony charge of home invasion in the third degree and two misdemeanor charges of stalking and breaking and entering without the owner’s permission. He was released on bond and is due back in court on Jan. 22.
Sherrone Moore, then-of the Michigan Wolverines, looks on during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium on November 22, 2025 in College Park, Maryland. (Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
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Moore took over as head coach for Jim Harbaugh when he left to take the Los Angeles Chargers’ job.
Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.
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HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
WEDNESDAY’S RESULTS
BOYS
CITY SECTION
AMIT 59, Sun Valley Magnet 38
Bernstein 71, Contreras 26
Crenshaw 55, King/Drew 39
Fulton 50, Vaughn 48
Hollywood 104, Belmont 10
LA Hamilton 71, Downtown Magnets 69
MSAR 67, Valor Academy 56
MSCP 84, Larchmont Charter 25
Northridge Academy 59, VAAS 12
Orthopaedic 69, Animo Bunche 34
RFK Community 73, Jefferson 70
Royal 54, Mendez 52
View Park 55, Bell 48
Wilmington Banning 62, Elizabeth 26
SOUTHERN SECTION
Arroyo 54, South El Monte 50
Chadwick 91, Paramount 63
Damien 66, Aquinas 41
Downey 57, Workman 22
Edgewood 52, West Covina 43
Flintridge Prep 80, ISLA 15
Gabrielino 91, Mountain View 46
Garden Grove 58, Irvine University 56
Hemet 56, Valley View 55
Highland 68, Lancaster 34
Hillcrest 57, Orange Vista 56
Indian Springs 64, Citrus Valley 55
Laguna Beach 70, Costa Mesa 46
Lakeside 54, Canyon Springs 50
La Palma 69, Westminster 18
Maricopa 47, Laton 17
Moreno Valley 52, Arlington 42
North Torrance 75, Bellflower 30
Pasadena Marshal 75, El Monte 51
Peninsula 65, Redondo Union 63
Perris 63, Riverside North 62
Pilgrim 71, Westmark 39
Public Safety Academy 51, River Springs Charter 44
Quartz Hill 76, Antelope Valley 44
Redondo Union 76, Peninsula 18
Riverside King 61, Chaparral 55
Riverside Poly 54, Liberty 43
Samueli Academy 49, Bolsa Grande 48
San Fernando Academy 71, Summit View 19
Segerstrom 66, Loara 38
Sierra Vista 62, Covina 58
Temple City 51, El Rancho 46
Thousand Oaks 65, Shalhevet 38
Torrance 76, El Segundo 37
Vista del Lago 57, Heritage 51
INTERSECTIONAL
Dorsey 60, Lawndale 55
Grace 68, Panorama 34
LA Roosevelt 42, Alhambra 39
San Gabriel 50, Maywood CES 23
Westchester 48, Compton Centennial 36
GIRLS
CITY SECTION
AMIT 25, Sun Valley Magnet 20
Bernstein 56, Contreras 13
Cleveland 64, North Hollywood 24
Hollywood 63, Belmont 13
King/Drew 60, Crenshaw 12
Larchmont Charter 36, MSCP 33
MSAR 42, Valor Academy 29
Orthopaedic 28, Animo Bunche 5
Rancho Dominguez 31, Elizabeth 20
South East 51, Lakeview Charter 23
Washington 65, Fremont 10
SOUTHERN SECTION
Agoura 65, Simi Valley 38
Buena Park 78, Westminster 29
Citrus Valley 43, Indio 24
Covina 56, Garey 25
CSDR 71, Victor Valley 33
El Modena 37, Edison 29
Flintridge Prep 85, Westridge 9
Gabrielino 81, Mountain View 4
Hemet 51, Valley View 24
Jurupa Valley 29, Indian Springs 20
Knight 81, Littlerock 8
Lancaster 60, Highland 40
Laton 29, Maricopa 8
Liberty 59, Citrus Hill 28
Los Altos 59, Anaheim 42
Los Amigos 39, Saddleback 19
Mira Costa 54, West Torrance 50
Newbury Park 53, Oxnard Pacifica 34
Oxnard 50, Santa Paula 42
Quartz Hill 57, Antelope Valley 18
Rancho Verde 46, Perris 19
Ramona 56, Gahr 29
Rancho Christian 100, Heritage 41
Riverside North 47, Vista del Lago 34
Riverside King 63, Xaxier Prep 38
Riverside Poly 73, Paloma Valley 38
River Springs Charter 35, Public Safety Academy 15
San Gabriel 46, Edgewood 26
San Gabriel Academy 63, Compton Centennial 62
Savanna 52, Costa Mesa 38
South El Monte 24, Arroyo 21
Thousand Oaks 69, Shalhevet 39
Torrance 74, El Segundo 36
Upland 44, Rosemead 27
Woodbridge 48, Century 6
Yorba Linda 64, Placentia Valencia 44
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has had a terrific 2025.
He and his wife, actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld, got married in June and last week he announced the two were expecting their first child together. Not to mention, he started the year being awarded the NFL MVP trophy.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) passes against the New England Patriots during the second half of an NFL football game in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Allen expressed some appreciation for how he’s grown as a person since he arrived in Buffalo in 2018 as his life took him from a small town in California to Wyoming to the NFL and on the brink of leading a championship-starved city to a Super Bowl appearance.
“Yeah, I guess it’s like the evolution of life,” he said Wednesday. “I consider this place my home. It’s where I’ve done a lot of growing up. And it’s a place that I’ll raise a family. It’s really cool.”
As his work-life balance becomes more rigid, The Associated Press noted a curious comment he made in October during “Monday Night Football.” He was asked what Steinfeld has taught him during their relationship. He responded, “Maybe I am more than a football player.”
Allen confirmed to The Associated Press that Steinfeld’s pregnancy factored into his response.
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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen speaks at a news conference after an NFL football game against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Massachusetts, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
“Overjoyed, absolutely overjoyed,” he said, while confirming that he knew he was going to be a dad before the ESPN interview occurred.
Allen is a three-time Pro Bowler and coming off an MVP season. While he’s done more than enough to warrant talk of back-to-back MVPs, Allen shook that notion off going into Week 16.
“I’m just trying to do my job, just trying to find a way to get in the playoffs here,” he said.
Beating the New England Patriots last week after being down 21 points was a good first step. Buffalo has had ups and downs all season long but the team seems to be hitting its stride now with four wins in their last five games.
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Buffalo will go up against the Cleveland Browns on the road on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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