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Chargers head coach slams idea of playing for a tie

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 1/5/22

There has been plenty of talk ahead of next Sunday's matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders regarding whether both teams could punch their tickets into the playoffs if the game ends in a tie. That potential scenario has also given way to the idea of both teams taking knees to ensure a tie instead of actually playing for the win.

Chargers head coach Brandon Staley, not surprisingly, is having absolutely none of that.

"That's a pretty loaded scenario," Staley sounded off on "The Rich Eisen Show" this week. "That is an all-time coffee shop scenario."

Staley continued: "I think we all respect the game and the NFL shield and the integrity of this game far too much to be complicit in something like that.

"This game matters too much to too many people, and we want to play our best and be proud of the result one way or another."

Count Brandon Staley out of kneeling every play against the Raiders pic.twitter.com/escsFOmoDa
— Pickswise (@Pickswise) January 5, 2022

Of course, there is still that slim chance the Chargers and Raiders are tied up at the end of four quarters and unable to break the stalemate in overtime. But that appears to be a bridge both teams will cross if they get to that point.

Staley's Chargers handed the Raiders their first loss of the 2021 season on October 4, in a game which Vegas didn't score until the second half. Much like that first game, the Raiders enter their matchup against the AFC rival on a three-game winning streak.

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