The Chargers head to Los Angeles after spending the last 50 years in San Diego, and they could be a sleeper pick in a strong AFC West division.
When the Chargers franchise began back in 1960, they were actually called the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the team moved to San Diego after that first season, and have called the city their home ever since. That all changed this offseason, as the franchise moved back to Los Angeles, leaving the faithful in San Diego behind them.
For the Chargers franchise, they are hoping a change of scenery will mean more winning. At one time, the Chargers owned the AFC West. From 2006-09, the franchise won four straight division titles, though they never did much with their playoff appearances. Since the 2009 season, Los Angeles has been to the playoffs only once, and in the past two seasons, they have been very bad.
Under head coach Mike McCoy, the Chargers went 9-23 over the last two seasons. This offseason, the Chargers decided to let McCoy go, and he is currently in the division as the offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos. Los Angeles made Anthony Lynn their new head coach, and he certainly has his work cut out for him in year one.
Luckily for Lynn, he does have a tremendous quarterback returning. Unlike the Los Angeles Rams, who came to L.A. in rebuilding mode, the Chargers actually have the pieces in place to be very competitive this season. Some even believe the Bolts will finish towards the top of the AFC West, but lets not get ahead of ourselves.
In Philip Rivers, the Chargers do have one of the best starting quarterbacks in the AFC. Rivers has proven year in, and year out that he can be very productive, no matter who the team lines up at wide receiver. The Chargers had to deal with losing their top wideout in Week 1, but Rivers was still able to throw for over 4,300 yards.
Keenan Allen tore up his knee in that Week 1 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, so the Chargers had to have some lesser-known players step up in the passing game. Tyrell Williams had a breakout season for the Bolts, racking up over 1,000 yards, and Travis Benjamin proved to be a great pickup as well.
The tight end position has long been a position of strength for the Chargers, as Antonio Gates is headed towards the Hall of Fame. Aside from Gates, the Chargers got a tremendous effort out of rookie Hunter Henry, as the two combined for over 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns. Rivers was able to exploit defenses despite having a bad offensive line, which just may be the case again in 2017.
New head coach Anthony Lynn is going to want to run the ball, and the Bolts have a good one in Melvin Gordon. Gordon battled injuries last season, but still nearly rushed for 1,000 yards in only 11 starts, while scoring ten touchdowns.
Los Angeles is going to score points, but the question will be whether or not they can get stops. They have some very talented players on the edge, and their cornerbacks are also great, but questions still remain on that side of the ball.
This preseason, the team lost Denzel Perryman for at least the first month of the season, but they do expect him back. Los Angeles was able to resign linebacker Melvin Ingram this offseason, and he will once again be the leader of the defense. Jatavis Brown is also a talented linebacker, so the group does have some big-time players.
Up front, Joey Bosa proved well worth the No. 3 overall selection in the previous April’s NFL Draft. Despite starting only 11 games, Bosa racked up 10.5 sacks, earning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He has an incredible motor, and will only get better as he gets more experience.
The secondary is led by Casey Hayward, who led the team with seven interceptions last season. This Summer, rookie Desmond King has looked very good playing all over the secondary, and could have a serious impact on this Chargers defense in his first season out of Iowa.
The schedule is tough for the Chargers, and they could very well find themselves in the cellar in the AFC West once again. The good thing about this franchise is they are building it up the right way, and there is no reason to think they cannot surprise everybody this season. Rivers is as good as they come in the AFC, and with a strong, young defense, this Chargers team could be in for a very solid first season in LaLa Land.
Lynn served as an interim head coach for Buffalo last season, but lost his only game. He has surrounded himself with talented assistants, but this is his first full-time head coaching gig. The Chargers are also playing in a soccer stadium this season, so it will be interesting to see how that affects things in 2017.
X-Factor
The Los Angeles Chargers are going to be fun to watch in their first season in LaLa Land, and the passing game is going to be a big reason why. Last season, the team lost their best asset before the season really got going, as Keenan Allen blew out his knee in Week 1. That proved to be a big loss, which is why having him back is going to be the team’s X-Factor this season.
Los Angeles spent their first round selection on wide receiver Mike Williams from Clemson, selecting the star with the No. 7 overall pick. He has been dealing with back issues since being selected, and may not be able to contribute in his rookie season. That means Allen will have to step up even more, and lead a cast of wideouts who really outperformed themselves last season.
Allen has the talent to be one of the best wideouts in the game, but has struggled with the injury bug. While his past does not dictate that he will stay healthy, we think he will, and could be in for a 1,500-yard season. If he plays in 16 games, the Chargers could win more than they lose in 2017.
Best Case
In a perfect world, the Chargers will move to Los Angeles and make it back to the top of the AFC West for the first time since 2009. While the schedule is very tough, the Chargers could have been a ten-win team last season, and actually have more talent on this roster.
The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the hardest schedules in the NFL, as does the No. 2 team in the division, the Oakland Raiders. The Chargers could very well sneak up and win ten games this season, which would land them in a Wildcard spot. That would be the best case scenario, because this division is going to be won by either the Chiefs or the Raiders.
If the Chargers can stay healthy, and the offensive line steps up, there is no reason why this team cannot win ten games. They have the playmakers on defense, including an elite pass rusher, so the defense should be able to put the pressure on late in games. If they do make the playoffs, it will mark only their second appearance since 2009.
Worst Case
The worst case scenario for this team is for the 2017 NFL season to play out like the 2016 NFL season did. The Chargers saw themselves blow some huge games early in the year, and by the time the season got longer, they could not recover.
Rivers is going to have another big year, and having Allen back is going to make this offense even better. The offensive line is just not good enough to protect him for four quarters, so that is going to lead to teams being able to pin their ears back and attack him, especially late in games.
The Chargers have talent, but if their worst case is realized, they could win only six or seven games. While I do not see that happening, the schedule is daunting, and Lynn may not have experience to push the right buttons with the game on the line late.
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Final Word
The Chargers will finish at the bottom of the division once again in 2017, but it will not be for a lack of effort. Anthony Lynn is going to have a lot to prove in his first full season as an NFL head coach, and Philip Rivers has way too much pride for this team to go down quietly. The talent is there for the Chargers to be competitive no matter who they play, but the schedule will prove to be too tough.
While Los Angeles could see both of their teams finish in the bottom of their divisions this season, the future is bright for the Chargers. The team needs to get better on the offensive line if they ever hope to contend in a loaded AFC West, so look for that to be the focus next offseason. For 2017, expect Los Angeles to in eight games, but be in position to win at least ten along the way.