4 bold predictions for the LA Chargers in the 2024 season

The last weekend without LA Chargers football has officially passed as the team is gearing up to host the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1 of the 2024 season. This is arguably the most important Week 1 in recent franchise history as it marks the official start of the Jim Harbaugh era.

Hiring Harbaugh added a massive boost to the Chargers organization not just for the 2024 season but for the immediate future of the team. Harbaugh has won everywhere he has coached and it is not far-fetched to expect the Bolts to be a true Super Bowl contender at some point in the next five years.

The odds of it happening right away, though, are slim as this will be a process for the Chargers, not an overnight success story. But there is still a lot to play for in 2024, and a lot of great things that can happen.

4 bold predictions for the LA Chargers in 2024:

1. Jim Harbaugh wins Coach of the Year

We were going to include the Chargers winning 9-10 games and competing for a roster spot as a bold prediction but that is not really that bold. Instead, it is bolder to predict Harbaugh to win Coach of the Year at the tail end of a successful Bolts season.

Talent-wise, the Chargers are probably an eight-win team as there are still holes on the roster that make it hard to succeed over the course of an entire season. However, with an elite quarterback, a great head coach and a very easy schedule, it is not out of the realm of possibility for the Bolts to win 10 games.

A 10-win season that sees a playoff berth will almost certainly earn Harbaugh the Coach of the Year award. The award is narrative-driven anyway and Harbaugh already has the narrative on his side as he looks to turn around a 5-12 team in his return to the NFL.

2. The Chargers defense is much better than it has any right to be

The Chargers struggled defensively under Brandon Staley and it was fair to expect the team to still be behind the curve for the 2024 season. After all, the overall talent of the roster leaves some to be desired and on paper, this does not have the makings of a top-10 defense.

However, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter had these guys flying around in the preseason and it is clear that he has universal buy-in across the board for his defensive scheme. Granted, defense usually has the advantage in the preseason, but it was still great to see.

Minter should be able to utilize Derwin James in a better manner than Staley did while his pass rush is going to play a prominent role in the success of the defense. Before the preseason, it would have been a massive win for Minter to coach this unit up to be league-average. Now, finishing as a top-10 defense is not out of the realm of possibility.

3. Ladd McConkey finishes with the second-most receiving yards among rookie WR

The Chargers did not draft a wide receiver in the first round, opting to take tackle Joe Alt over wide receiver Malik Nabers. Nabers already looks like a legitimate franchise receiver and he will undoubtedly elevate the New York Giants' offensive ceiling for years to come.

That being said, Nabers has one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL throwing his passes and that will naturally limit his production. Ninth-overall pick, Rome Odunze, has to compete with Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore, so his rookie-year numbers will naturally be limited.

Going down the list, the rookie wideout with the best chance to produce right away (outside of Marvin Harrison Jr.) is Ladd McConkey. All the stars are aligned for McConkey to have a big rookie year that only trails Harrison in overall output.

McConkey is not the second-most talented wideout in rookie class but he plays on a team with an elite quarterback and no true No. 1 option. With McConkey's crisp route-running making him a weapon in the short and intermediate areas, expect Herbert to target him in a similar fashion as he would Allen.

4. Justin Herbert joins the 72% club

There are only three seasons in NFL history where a qualified passer finished with a completion percentage of 72% or better. All three belong to Drew Brees.

The stars are aligned for Herbert, who has already been pretty accurate in his career, to join that club. The highest completion percentage Herbert has finished a season with is 68.9% and it is not unreasonable to expect that to jump under Harbaugh.

Multiple factors are working in favor of Herbert. First is the fact that with an improved offensive line and run game, there will be less cases where Herbert is forced to throw the ball 50 times in a game just to move the offense. Less total attempts mean better efficiency for the star QB.

His weapons might not be the best but Herbert has always been a risk-averse passer (almost to a fault, at times). Add in an offense that is predicated on pounding the rock and not turning the ball over and it is easy to see how Herbert can complete 3.1% more of his passes than he did in 2023.

And if he can surpass 4,000 passing yards then it will be only the second season in NFL history with 4,000 yards and a 72% completion rate.