5 takeaways from Chargers’ 2020 schedule

The Los Angeles Chargers have a fairly manageable schedule for the 2020 season.

The 2020 schedule for the Chargers has been released, and for the most part, it’s fairly favorable. There are some challenges along the way, but with the talent on the roster, they’re capable of finishing with over a .500 record.

Here are my takeaways from Los Angeles’ schedule:

First exposure

The first game of the season, the Chargers will be on the road to take on the Bengals, the team that finished with the worst record in the NFL last season. As part of their roster reconstruction, Cincinnati selected quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. Despite how talented he is, it’s rare that a rookie signal-caller flourishes in their professional debut. On top of that, the only weapon Burrow was given was wide receiver Tee Higgins, the Bengals’ second-round pick. Going up against a tough Chargers defense, the growing pains could be experienced right off the bat.

Tough home opener

After their bout on the road, the Chargers return home the week after to make their opener in their brand new stadium (SoFi Stadium). Fans are eager to see the Bolts in the 70,240-seat stadium, but it might not be a warm welcoming for them as they take on the reigning Super Bowl champions. While Los Angeles will look to make their mark with a victory over Kansas City, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and company will be eager to crash the party. The Chiefs have defeated the Chargers in front of their home crowd in the past seven consecutive seasons.

Primetime might not be so prime

The Chargers had three primetime games in 2019. This year will only be two. However, either one of those games against the Saints or the Raiders, won’t be at SoFi Stadium. They will both be on the road, which means Los Angeles will have to earn the league’s respect after failing to show they could bring fans the past three seasons after the move to L.A. The Rams, on the other hand, will have five primetime matchups, with three of those being at the brand new stadium.

Facing two of the greatests back-to-back

After taking the league by storm with the Patriots, Tom Brady starts a new chapter with the Buccaneers. The Chargers will travel to face Brady and company in Week 4, looking to knock him off, likely for the last time in his professional career. But the quarterback play doesn’t get any easier the week after, as Los Angeles travels to New Orleans to take on the Saints on Monday night. Like Brady, this will be the last time the Bolts see Drew Brees as a professional. The Chargers have yet to beat Brady and Brees within the past decade.

Might get a little chilly

The Chargers, who are used to relatively warm weather year around, might have to be a little uncomfortable for two consecutive games. The Week 11 and Week 12 matchups against the Broncos and Bills, respectively, could draw in some cold temperatures, potentially some snow. The Week 17 bout against the Chiefs won’t bring warm temperatures, either. Regardless, Los Angeles has showed in the past that they are able to fare well in colder climates.

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POLL: How many games will Chargers win in 2020?

Will the Los Angeles Chargers turn things around after a disastrous 2019 season?

The Chargers’ 2020 schedule was finally released on Thursday.

Coming off a year that wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows as they finished 5-11 because of a combination of injuries and struggling to close out games, Los Angeles is eager to have a quick turnaround in the upcoming season.

With their schedule set in stone, we have more information to use in order to predict how this season might shake out for L.A.

Recently, I made my prediction, projecting the Bolts to finish with a 9-7 record. Even though we don’t know how the quarterback play is going to shape up after the departure of Philip Rivers, the talent on both sides of the ball should be able to elevate them.

So what do you think, Chargers fans? What do you make of the team’s success this season?

Weigh in on the Bolts’ win total in 2020 in the poll below.

[polldaddy poll=10549418]

4 takeaways from Chargers’ 2020 NFL Draft

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez breaks down his thoughts on the Los Angeles Chargers’ haul from the 2020 NFL Draft.

The 2020 NFL Draft is officially history.

Here are four takeaways from the Chargers’ draft class:

Life after Philip Rivers

A new era begins for the Chargers. After 16 years with Philip Rivers under center, Justin Herbert takes the reins. Herbert was selected with the team’s first-round pick (No. 6 overall)

With Tyrod Taylor on the roster, I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t see Herbert take a single snap at all this upcoming season – barring any injuries. Using 2020 as a redshirt year would be beneficial for Herbert.

Even though Herbert possesses the talent to become a successful NFL quarterback, there are still some deficiencies in his game that need improvement, primarily his processor and eye discipline.

Overall, Los Angeles knew that they were in a prime position to land one of the top signal-callers and they didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger on the one that the scouting department and team personnel has loved for years.

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Scouting report, film notes of Chargers first-round pick LB Kenneth Murray

The Los Angeles Chargers had to make a sacrifice by giving up some picks, but they struck gold with linebacker Kenneth Murray.

The Los Angeles Chargers traded back up into the first-round to select former Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray with the No. 23 overall pick.

To get familiar with the physical linebacker, here is my scouting report on Murray followed with film notes from a few of his games:

Kenneth Murray | Oklahoma | #9 | Junior | Missouri City, TX | 6024 | 241

40-Yard Dash: 4.52 seconds
Bench Press: 21 reps
Vertical Jump: 38 inches
Broad Jump: 129 inches
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A

Career: Semifinalist for the Butkus and Bednarik awards. Racked up 325 tackles, 36.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in 42 games.

Red Flags: N/A

Strengths: Outstanding speed, acceleration and range. Fast in all directions, and is able to drive extremely well to the ball carrier. Able to anticipate and get to the spot faster than blockers to make the play. Covers significant ground when dropping back in coverage. Terrific blitzer, who attacks with a purpose and does a great job of shrinking space between him and the quarterback. An explosive tackler, runs through the ball-carrier and brings heat with him.

Weaknesses: Average instincts and route recognition in zone coverage. Can rely on speed to get him to the ball in space and could stand to take cleaner angles with straighter lines to the ball-carrier. Makes wrong reads between the tackles at times. Struggles to disengage from climbing blockers. Can come in too high when attempting to tackle.

Final Word: Murray is a quick-twitch athlete who possesses the speed against the run and pass, physicality and blitz ability, but he needs to improve his play recognition and play under control on a more consistent basis, projecting as three-down starting Mike or Will linebacker.

Fit Likelihood: High

Grade: 1st-2nd Round

Film Study – vs Baylor (Big-12 Championship Game)

In this game, Murray finished with 10 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and a pass deflected. This game exemplified how his closing speed quickness and his ability to cover a lot of ground even when dropping back in coverage, making it look effortless. Along with that, we saw his explosiveness to acquire a sack in this contest. But we saw on a couple of plays him coming in too high when tackling, which was an issue.

Film Study – vs LSU (College Football Playoffs)

In arguably the biggest stage of his collegiate career against the 2020 National Champions, Murray amassed seven tackles and one tackle for loss. Murray, again, showed his elite speed and range when coming downhill, but his overaggressive tendencies got the best of him and he was late to diagnose on a couple of instances.

Tag: L.A. Chargers