Brandon Staley, the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, decided to go for the touchdown on fourth down instead of scoring a field goal against the Miami Dolphins. The two sides locked horns at the SoFi Stadium on Sunday night. 

Chargers failed to score on the drive. A successful field goal would have given them three points, the game’s first on Sunday. Several social media users trolled Staley for making the call. 

“Is they’re a coach in college & NFL combined that’s left more points on the field than Brandon Staley? Homie is allergic to fg’s,” a Twitter user said. 

“Brandon Staley is an absolute nerd. But down the “analytics” book and kick the FG,” a second one said. 

“Every time Brandon Staley fails to convert 4th down when he could attempt a 90% FG….I hope that the Analytics will be updated,” a third one tweeted. 

However, the Chargers started off the second quarter with a 33-yard field goal to open with a 3-0 lead. 

Staley is dubbed as the most analytics-driven head coach in the league. He earned the reputation in his rookie year when the 40-year-old set a single-season NFL record with 22 successful 4th down conversions (out of 34 attempts). 

In January 2022, the Chargers needed a win to get into the playoffs. A loss would have knocked them out. Staley, then, did not hesitate to ask quarterback Justin Herbert to go for the touchdown. The risky call didn’t pay off. 

Earlier this year, the Chargers head coach made a similar call against the Cleveland Browns. Staley opted to go for a first down on a late fourth-down play near midfield. Herbert’s pass fell incomplete, handing the opponents to take the game with a 54-yard field goal. Kicker Cade York missed it and Los Angeles escaped 30-28.