The Chargers are hopeful that they can turn things around under head coach Brandon Staley after finishing under .500 and missing out on the playoffs the past two years.
After breaking down each game, I believe that Los Angeles is capable of going 11-6 this season. But how do other media outlets believe they’re going to fare?
With the start of the Bolts’ season just two days away, ESPN was the latest to make their predictions.
For L.A., the outlet thinks the Chargers’ ceiling is a 11-6 record, while their floor is 6-11.
Here is what Shelley Smith had to say:
The Chargers’ defense is tough to figure out, but that’s the way it was designed by coach Brandon Staley. And safety Derwin James Jr. is back and at the center of it. He is healthy after missing all of 2020, will be a dynamic impact player on D and is relaying the plays from the sideline. But is he a safety? A corner? A linebacker? He brings a different feel to the Chargers’ defense, and his play — and health — could be a big decider in whether Los Angeles is a very good team or has another losing season.
While first-year head coach’s success rates are toss-ups, the Chargers are too talented on both sides of the ball to finish 6-11. The only way I see them with that record is if they get hit with the injury bug to key players, like they’ve experienced in prior seasons.
It will be difficult to fend off the Chiefs for the division title, but if everything goes right, Los Angeles is more than capable of dethroning Kansas City en route to potentially making a deep postseason run this year.