LA Chargers News: Bolts ranked unfavorably by ESPN
ESPN released its annual NFL season predictions using their Football Power Index and this year the LA Chargers are not as high as previous years, ranking 20th in the league. ESPN’s FPI projects the Bolts to win 7.7 games this season with a 35 percent chance of making the playoffs.
These predictions are not the end-all say-all, however, as the Chargers were vastly different in 2019 than they were projected to be. The Chargers ranked sixth in the league in last year’s FPI projections and were projected to win 8.8 games. They won five.
The Kansas City Chiefs ranked first and are projected to win 11.2 games with a 94 percent chance of making the playoffs. The Denver Broncos ranked 17th with 7.4 projected wins and a 32 percent chance of making the playoffs and the Las Vegas Raiders ranked 23rd with 6.9 projected wins and a 24 percent chance of making the playoffs.
More LA Chargers News from around the web:
- Predicting Every NFL Team’s 2020 Surprise Rookie Gem, Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report
Brent Sobleski predicted every single NFL’s teams hidden gem heading into the 2020 season and the Chargers’ hidden gem is someone from the 2020 draft class — Joe Reed. Reed is not only going to have a role in the passing game but will likely be a gadget-play asset and kick returner as well.
- What’s left on the Chargers’ offseason to-do list?, Michael Peterson, Bolts From The Blue
Michael Peterson breaks down the things that he thinks the LA Chargers still need to do this offseason, including signing a veteran free agent that Charger fans have been clamoring for. All in all, Peterson lists three things that the Bolts still need to do.
- What was Chargers’ ‘smartest move’ of the offseason?, Gavino Borquez, Chargers Wire
Gavino Borquez breaks down the smartest move that the LA Chargers made this offseason. Tom Telesco and the front office have been very busy in adding talent to the roster, so there are plenty of moves to choose from.
- Ranking the Top 5 Receiver Duos in the NFL Entering 2020, Brad Gagnon, Bleacher Report
Brad Gagnon lists the duo of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams among the top-five receiving duos in the entire NFL, coming in as the fourth-best duo in the league. Two of the teams ahead of the Chargers make sense, but number two is a bit questionable.
In case you missed it:
We had some interesting stories go up the past week here at Bolt Beat. If you missed any of these articles then I would definitely check them out.
The Chargers were one selection away from selecting a future Hall of Fame player 17 years ago. This is not a crazy what-if story, either, as the player that the Chargers decided to pass on fit one of the biggest roster needs on the team. This decision likely cost the Bolts a Super Bowl in the mid-2000s.
Alex Insdorf broke down every single NFL team in his first power rankings of the new league year, even breaking down every team into similar categories. The Chargers’ position on this power rankings is definitely fair.
Faustino Felix broke down why Mike Williams is primed to have a setback season in 2020, which not only impacts the Chargers’ offense but potentially Williams’ future with the team.
The Chargers already exercised Williams’ fifth year, so he will be on the team in 2021. But after that, especially if he does not play well, his future with the team is unclear.