The Chargers had a choice to make with 15 seconds left in Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.
They could kick an extra point that would send the game to overtime or they could try to win it with a two-point conversion. Head coach Brandon Staley chose Door No. 2 and the Chargers got a 25-24 win when quarterback Justin Herbert found tight end Gerald Everett in the end zone.
After the game, Staley was succinct when it came to why he made that call.
“We came here to win,” Staley said, via Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com. “We’re just living week to week. It was about this game for us and pouring into this game and doing what we felt like was going to win us the football game.”
The win lifted the Chargers to 6-5 on the year, which is significant in a crowded AFC playoff race. They are one of nine teams with winning records and the gap between them and the Chiefs means they’ll almost certainly need to secure a wild card berth in order to make the postseason, so playing to win is pretty much the only option on the table for Staley’s club.