NFL Record Predictions Do Chargers Dirty...But Raise Some Good Points

After the NFL schedule release, final record predictions point out some flaws about the Chargers.

Justin Herbert | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The last thing most expect from the Los Angeles Chargers after the NFL schedule release is a regression. 

Most. 

Those Chargers won 11 games last year, a number skewed at least a bit by not playing all of their starters in a season finale before the postseason. They nearly swept the AFC West and project to get better on offense around Justin Herbert after the addition of Mike McDaniel as coordinator. 

But in NFL record predictions after the schedule reveal, there are some notable outliers who simply aren’t buying that the Chargers improved enough. 

And a few of them make some pretty good points along the way, too. 

NFL game-by-game predictions hurt Chargers

Jim Harbaugh | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

One set of NFL record projections from Fox Sports’ Eric Williams has the Chargers going just 10-7 while shifting the focus to the defensive side of the ball. 

“The Los Angeles Chargers will miss departed defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, now the head coach in Baltimore," Williams wrote. "The Bolts could have used another playmaker on offense and another pass rusher on defense, but head coach Jim Harbaugh will have his team buttoned up and in position to make the playoffs.”

Fair play: The Chargers have been forced to go from Minter to Chris O’Leary, who is back from the college ranks for his first big chance at a coordinator spot. No easy task and assuming continuity completely is unwise. 

Another projection is even harsher. Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame has the Chargers finishing at 8-9, writing that the “schedule is brutal.”

Which, it is. Any schedule for any team that includes the Bills, Seahawks, Broncos, Chiefs, Rams, Texans and Ravens all in a row is tough, to say the least. 

Perhaps more notably, Verderame points out that the Chargers defense lost Odafe Oweh this offseason. 

We’ve hit the Chargers plenty of times for that. It didn’t make sense to spend the draft capital for Oweh last season, get a breakout from him, then refuse to pay him market rate to keep him in town. The team then turned around and drafted an older rookie, Akheem Mesidor, hoping his age means he can adapt quickly and provide help filling that gap right away. 

With a new coordinator, that’s risky. And while it’s fun to think McDaniel gets the best out of Herbert, there are still questions about how it all comes together, especially on the interior of the offensive line. 

Still, the Chargers finishing 8-9 feels a little too harsh. And tallying more losses than a year ago seems unlikely. 

Alas, the concerns are valid and the schedule is not very friendly. 

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