LA Chargers: Why Justin Herbert will be the league MVP in 2021

3. The LA Chargers will be a playoff team in 2021

Half of the equation for an MVP quarterback is putting together a winning season. The MVP is not going to be given to a quarterback on a losing team no matter how good he was. That is why Deshaun Watson was not in any MVP conversations whatsoever.

This might be hopeful thinking, but I legitimately think the LA Chargers are going to be a playoff team next season and are going to be a good one at that. I really think that 10 wins is the floor for this team and that they could put together a 12-4 season as they did in 2018.

I am usually pretty objective about the Chargers. I had them going 8-8 in 2020 and said that a 7-9 season was more likely than a 9-7 season. Of course, I did not expect Justin Herbert, but I also was being rather objective on the status of the team.

Brandon Staley really does appear to be the right head coach hire. His football knowledge, based on all of the things that have been said about him by former players, is vast and I am confident that he can instill a winning culture in this team.

Plus, even in a 2020 season in which Anthony Lynn was a terrible head coach they still could have easily been in the running for the playoffs with a few small changes.

If Michael Badgley makes a kick vs New Orleans, Austin Ekeler catches a lateral against Carolina and Donald Parham comes down with the football on a perfect goal-line fade then the Chargers would have won 10 games.

That is not even counting the Joshua Kelley fumble against Tampa Bay and the last-second touchdown by Drew Lock.

There were four games that the Chargers really deserved to lose: Kansas City Week 2 (because of the soft decision to punt on fourth and one in overtime), Miami Week 10 (special teams woes and outcoached), Buffalo Week 12 (simply a better team), and New England Week 13 (way outcoached).

Shoulda woulda coulda but the fact remains that this is a very talented football team that just needs some better guidance.

With better guidance in Staley, the LA Chargers will win more games behind a fantastic season from Justin Herbert that will win him the league MVP award.