4th Annual 32 in 32ish NFL Previews: Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers, who finished in last place in the division last season, are the final AFC West team to preview as we near the end of our previews of all 32 NFL teams.

For the second straight season, an NFL team is moving to Los Angeles. This time, it’s the Chargers, who are making the short trip north from San Diego. Until the new stadium they’ll be sharing with the Rams is complete, they’ll be playing their home games at the 27,000-seat StubHub Center in nearby Carson, Calif. Although the team’s city is changing, on the field will look familiar without any major changes to the roster this offseason, other than the departure of RB Danny Woodhead, who barely played last year as an injury limited him to two games. In the draft, the team used the seventh overall pick on Clemson WR Mike Williams and selected Western Kentucky OG Forrest Lamp in the second round. The coaching staff, on the other hand, is changing with Anthony Lynn taking over head-coaching duties and Gus Bradley now the defensive coordinator; offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt returns from last season.

QB Philip Rivers threw for 4,386 yards and 33 touchdowns, with 21 interceptions — representing the second-highest touchdown total of his career and the most interceptions. His leading receiver was WR Tyrell Williams, who nabbed 69 receptions for 1,059 yards and 7 touchdowns. WR Dontrelle Inman caught 58 balls for 810 yards and 4 touchdowns, and TE Antonio Gates had 53 catches for 548 yards and 7 touchdowns in 14 games. Rookie TE Hunter Henry added 36 catches for 478 yards and 8 touchdowns in 15 games. The leading rusher was RB Melvin Gordon, who ran for 997 yards and 10 touchdowns on 254 carries in 13 games, adding 41 catches for another 419 yards and 2 touchdowns. The offense scored the ninth-most points in the NFL last season, and the defense was fourth-worst in the league in points allowed by tied for the league with 18 interceptions.

Rivers needs to cut down on the interceptions, but even being in his mid-30s put up yardage and touchdown totals that were among the best in the league among quarterbacks last season. One reason for that is he has some strong options in the receiving core, including one of the best tight ends in league history with Gates and a young tight end who showed promising signs as a rookie and looks to be even better as he should start to get more work in his second year in the league. Rivers also gets back WR Keenan Allen, who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 last year. While he’s a good receiver when healthy, he’s only played a total of nine games over the last two seasons. If he can stay on the field, though, he is a solid addition to an already-good receiving core. There are more question marks in the running game, with Gordon — who has yet to play a full 16-game season in his career — leading the way and RB Branden Oliver, who hasn’t played since 2015, his backup.

The Chargers’ schedule begins in the final game of Week 1, visiting the Broncos in the second game of the Monday Night Football doubleheader. They play their first regular-season games at StubHub Center over the next three weeks, taking on the Dolphins in Week 2, followed by the Chiefs and Eagles. Week 5 takes the Chargers to New Jersey to take on the Giants, and they follow that with a Week 6 road game against the Raiders. They host the Broncos in Week 7, then face the Patriots on the road. A Week 9 bye leads into a Week 10 contest at the Jaguars. After hosting the Bills in Week 11, the Chargers visit the Cowboys in Week 12. They host the Browns and Redskins in Weeks 13 and 14, respectively, then visit the Chiefs for the Thursday night game in Week 15. After visiting the Jets in Week 16 for their second visit to MetLife Stadium, the Chargers end the season against the Raiders at home. I think the Chargers could be within a game of being a .500 team, which would be an improvement over last year.