LA Chargers: Early game-by-game 2020 record prediction
Week 6: vs. New York Jets
Week 6 starts a fairly easy stretch of games for the Chargers, at least relative to what they’ve had to go against in the last two weeks. The Jets come to town in the first of the Chargers’ battles against the AFC East in 2020.
Sam Darnold didn’t really develop in 2019, at least not as much as New York had hoped. His passer rating went up a few points, but he was still pretty conservative and turned the ball over too much. The Jets went out and got Denzel Mims and Breshad Perriman, but they did lose Robby Anderson to the Panthers in free agency. Ultimately, without significant development from Darnold, .500 is the ceiling for them.
What to watch for: The Jets’ secondary. Jamal Adams is one of the best safeties in the league, but there’s some intriguing draft talent around him now. Bryce Hall and Ashtyn Davis were two of my favorite picks by any team in the draft, especially in terms of value. New York’s offense is still mired in mediocrity, but their defense can keep them in games.
Could the Jets pull an upset? Perhaps. Coming off back to back road losses though, this feels like a game the Chargers are able to win at home. There’s just too much uncertainty on the offensive side for the Jets.
Record: 4-2
Week 7: @ Miami Dolphins
The Chargers were in a tight game with the Dolphins in 2019 until they pulled away. Miami is always a tough place to play for visiting NFL teams for some reason. The Dolphins are in the middle of a rebuild, with huge contracts doled out to defensive stars like Kyle Van Noy and Byron Jones.
They also had a barrage of draft picks, the most important of which was used on new franchise centerpiece Tua Tagovailoa. Unless the Dolphins end up being concerned by an injury, it’s almost a lock that Tagovailoa starts from the beginning of the season. While there isn’t an expectation for the Dolphins to make serious noise in Tagovailoa’s first year, he has some decent weapons. DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, Albert Wilson, and Preston Williams are quality targets to throw to. In my opinion, Jordan Howard was one of the more undervalued signings in free agency.
What to watch for: The Dolphins’ offensive line. Tagovailoa needs good protection, especially with some added injury risk. Austin Jackson was a good draft pick, even if a little bit of a reach. Giving 10 million to Ereck Flowers? I’m not keen on that one. If Bosa and Melvin Ingram aren’t held up by Miami’s offensive line, it could be a very long day for Tagovailoa.
While the Dolphins have improved, it just doesn’t feel like they’re ready to win quite yet. It could be a sneaky close game, especially with the Chargers having to go to the east coast. I’d like to see more out of both the offensive and defensive lines for Miami.
Record: 5-2