Chargers' chances at AFC's top seed dramatically jump in ESPN's FPI models

The Los Angeles Chargers becoming a hot commodity isn’t just a trendy thing for analysts on weekly sports shows before moving on to the next thing.

Coming out of the big win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the opener, advanced analytic models really like the Chargers, too.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, for example, noted that the FPI loves what it sees when it comes to the Chargers’ chances to win the AFC West:

“Even with the Broncos and Raiders winning in Week 1, FPI also has the Chargers as notable favorites to win the AFC West after the opener, as their 46% projection ranks favorably to those of the Chiefs (24.5%), Broncos (19.7%) and Raiders (9.8%).”

Barnwell mentions that the model already really liked the Chargers as a whole. Even so, jumping from 8.1 percent odds to win the AFC’s top seed to 15.8 percent is a notable jump, too.

The Chargers besting the Chiefs before games against the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos in the AFC West over the next two weeks would be a sure way to carve out a huge advantage in the conference, too.

Call it a result of actually building around a franchise passer like Justin Herbert properly, as Jim Harbaugh oversees the program, really. Models like FPI always seem to like the Chargers’ potential, but it hasn’t always translated to live action.

Now, it appears like it will, to say the least.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert — Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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