Winners and losers from Chargers' 'MNF' win over Jets

This was a game that was supposed to look a lot different. When the schedule makers originally put together the Los Angeles Chargers and New York Jets on "Monday Night Football", it was supposed to be a battle between one of the league's up-and-coming quarterbacks, Justin Herbert, and future Hall of Famer, Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers' Week 1 Achilles tear certainly ruined many things for television executives, and after Monday night's 27-6 loss to the Chargers, the Jets find themselves at 4-4. Ironically, the same record L.A. now has after the win.

With that, here are some non-scoreboard winners and losers from the contest.

Winner: Chargers RB Austin Ekeler

Ekeler was solid for the Chargers on Monday night. He didn't put up numbers that will get him etched into the Hall of Fame, but he did find the endzone twice on the ground — marking his first rushing touchdown since Sept. 10 as well as his first multi-touchdown game of the season.

Ekeler rushed 14 times for 47 yards, averaging 3.4 a pop. He also caught two catches for 23 yards.

Loser: Jets WR Garrett Wilson

After a rookie season that saw him catch 83 passes for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns en route to being named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, this season was supposed to be Wilson's breakout into superstardom.

Having Rodgers at quarterback was a big part of that hope.

To be fair, Wilson still has superstar talent, but he certainly would have shone a lot brighter on "MNF" with Rodgers throwing him the ball compared to Zach Wilson.

Wilson still caught seven balls for 80 yards, but oh what this matchup could have been had Rodgers not gone down in Week 1.

Winner: Chargers head coach Brandon Staley

There's a case to be made that Chargers head coach Brandon Staley is coaching for his job this season. He's supposed to be a defensive guru but his squad had given up 24 points per game heading into this contest. 

There's also been speculation that perhaps he's not the best coach to get the most of out Herbert's star potential.

With that in mind, every win is important for Staley in 2023 — even if it comes against a Rodgers-less Jets. Also, giving up just six will help his team's defensive ratings.

Loser: ESPN

This ended up being a boring blowout on "Monday Night Football". What this matchup was supposed to be, though, could have ended up being a classic shootout for the ages.

ESPN certainly lost out on any hypothetical ratings a Herbert vs. Rodgers clash would have drawn.