Bolt Beat Roundtable: Bold predictions for Week 1
By Travis Wakeman
The start of the regular season is upon us. The Chargers will soon play their first regular season game as the Los Angeles Chargers since 1960.
That game will take place this Monday night at Sports Authority Field against the Denver Broncos. The Broncos struggled in 2016, but won the Super Bowl the year before. As a result, getting this win on the road, inside the division, would be a tremendous way for the Chargers to start the season.
It seems obvious that the Chargers will pound the ball with Melvin Gordon on offense and that Joey Bosa could be a massive force on the defensive side of the ball against the Broncos new offensive line. But what about some outside-the-box thinking?
The staff here at Bolt Beat got together to discuss some bold predictions for this game.
Tyler Schoon: “The Chargers score 21+ first half points. With T.J. Ward, DeMarcus Ware and Shane Ray missing from this contest for various reasons, the Chargers will have their way with the Denver defense and start out hot.”
Anthony Totri: “This game features some of the game’s elite defenders in the secondary and in the front seven. I’m going to say that these two teams will combine for more interceptions than total passing touchdowns. Call me crazy, but in a game featuring Chris Harris Jr, Aqib Talib, Jason Verrett and Casey Hayward, I’m going to gamble on the secondary.”
Scott Iger: “The Chargers will combine for upwards of five sacks on the night, with Bosa getting at least two. Between Ingram and him, Siemian and the Broncos offensive line should hopefully be in for a rough night.”
Kade Dohmen: “The Chargers defense will rack up more sacks and takeaways than the Broncos. Denver has arguably one of the top pass-rushing defenses, centered around Von Miller. They also have one of the top cornerback groups with Aqib Talib, Chris Harris and Bradley Roby. The Chargers, who will have the potential for both of those things as well, are less proven than this Bronco D. This game will be their coming out party. The Denver offense is putrid, Hayward and Verrett are ball-hawks, the Broncos offensive line isn’t great (Von Miller said this is the best Chargers team and O-line he’s seen) and the Chargers offense will be predicated on keeping the ball. Look for the Los Angeles defense to become a new league talking point.”
More from Bolt Beat
- LA Chargers: 3 early takeaways from 2021 minicamp thus far
- LA Chargers: Drue Tranquill takes a jab at Gus Bradley’s defense
- LA Chargers second-year players: Nothing to lose and a lot to gain
- LA Chargers: Why running back could be a big issue for the Bolts
- LA Chargers: Chris Rumph’s upside is Melvin Ingram-like, but better
Alexander Insdorf: “Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram combine for four sacks. Its bold, but with the Broncos having a weaker offensive line than last season and still being unsure about their QB situation, I think the Chargers get a lot of pressure. Bosa and Ingram have seemed to develop quite a lot this summer through practice and training camp.”
Matt Pagels: “The defense will continue to do what it did in the preseason, and that’s scoring a defensive touchdown.”
Travis Wakeman: “All eyes will be on Antonio Gates as he looks to break the league’s all-time touchdown reception record for a tight end. Of course, he will eventually do that this season, but it will be the other tight end who has a big game here. Hunter Henry catches two touchdown passes.”
Those are our bold predictions for the season opener. What do you guys have? Will anyone dare to go bolder than that? Leave a comment below.