2. Week 1 at Washington Football Team
The storyline: A dynamic young offense vs. a dynamic young defense
Here we have two award-winners going toe-to-toe and they will be actively competing against each other. The AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, Chase Young, will look to make Justin Herbert’s first week of the 2021 season one to remember as the Bolts are on the road against Washington.
Herbert just had the greatest rookie quarterback season in NFL history and should be concerned one of the future stars of the league and a potential future MVP. Young just had one of the most dominant rookie seasons in recent memory and should be considered a future Defensive Player of the Year.
The similarities go beyond Herbert vs. Young, though. The Chargers and Washington Football Team are opposites of each other. Washington has a young, dynamic defense with an offense that is the big question mark this season.
The Chargers, meanwhile, have a dynamic offense with a young quarterback that has a defense that is a question mark. Luckily for the Bolts, the Chargers have the edge in the unknown as newly-hired head coach Brandon Staley is a defensive guru.
Both teams went 7-9 last season with Washington making the playoffs because of the terrible NFC East. Both teams are looking to improve on that record in 2021 and will clash against each other to start the season.
It will be a great measuring stick for both Washington’s defense and the Chargers’ offense.