The LA Chargers stumbled into the bye week after an ugly loss to the Seattle Seahawks desperately needing the break. Los Angeles is not only battling some of the worst injury luck in the league but has showcased some questionable coaching decisions as a whole that have led to an interesting start to the season.
The Bolts have a 4-3 record but with the level of opponent faced, many expected this team to be 5-2 at worst at the bye. Plus, it is not like it has been a good 4-3. Los Angeles does not have a definitive win while having two definitive losses. The team has the sixth-worst average scoring margin this season.
It is hard to know what to expect out of this team out of the bye. As they get healthier, and Justin Herbert's ribs continue to heal, things should seemingly get easier. But it is never that simple with this team. That won't stop us from predicting what will happen after the bye week.
Predicting every Chargers game after the bye week in 2022:
Week 9 at Atlanta Falcons: 30-28 WIN
This is going to be an interesting game as there are two teams that have struggled a lot on the defensive side of the ball that have weaknesses that line up with the other offense. Atlanta has one of the worst passing defenses in the NFL while the Chargers still struggle to contain the run and stop explosive plays.
This is going to be a scoring fest and while Justin Herbert's weapons are really limited, the lack of a strong defense will propel the Chargers to a better game offensively. This is going to be the Keenan Allen show as he gets back in-tune with his star quarterback.
The Chargers will be up 30-21 in the fourth quarter, allow the Falcons to score to bring it within two and then Herbert will find Allen for a big completion late to help milk the clock and secure the win.
Week 10 at San Francisco 49ers: 27-17 LOSS
As optimistic as I want to be as a Chargers fan, it is really hard to see a path to victory against a 49ers team that is just built to give the Chargers fits. Offensively, the 49ers have too many dynamic weapons for this defense to stop, especially with the addition of Christian McCaffrey.
Defensively, even with the injuries, the 49ers have one of the best pass-rushes in the league and have not allowed teams to score very many points. If this was a fully healthy Chargers team it would be a different conversation but that is not the case. This game feels like another ugly loss, and truly will be when Joe Lombardi's seat starts to get hot.
Week 11 vs Kansas City Chiefs: 33-27 WIN
So I am predicting the Chargers to get blown out by the 49ers but beat the Kansas City Chiefs? Yes, yes I am. The Chargers and Chiefs always play a close game and as bad as the Chargers defense has been, it has always matched up nicely against Kansas City. Derwin James is the Travis Kelce stopper and the Chargers do an effective job of limiting the deep pass against the Chiefs.
This is going to be a classic kitchen sink game for the Bolts. They will throw everything at the Chiefs as they will be 5-4 on the year and will need a big win over them to keep their playoff and division hopes alive. It will be one extremely desperate team against a comfortable team and the Bolts will edge out Kansas City in overtime.
Week 12 at Arizona Cardinals: 44-41 WIN
This is going to be the Cleveland Browns game from last season. These are two teams that are not coached very well and have bad defenses. The Chargers may have their limitations at receiver but the Cardinals have the limitation of inconsistent quarterback play.
Both of those limitations won't matter much in this game as Herbert will have his best game of the year to this point as his ribs should be rounding into shape at this point. Murray will use his athleticism to burn this Chargers' defense.
In the end, the Chargers will walk away with a game-winning field goal in the closing moments to move to 7-4 on the season.
Week 13 at Las Vegas Raiders: 38-30 LOSS
Remember how we predicted the Chargers to be the desperate division opponent against the Chiefs and that would lead to an overtime win? That will be the case here with the Raiders. At this point in the year, Vegas will essentially be playing for its playoff life and will throw absolutely everything at the Chargers.
We will see another huge game from Davante Adams and while it would be nice to see Derek Carr turn the ball over as much as he did in Week 1, that kind of thing is not consistent and won't happen in every match-up.
The Chargers come back down to earth a bit (as they always do), splitting with the Raiders to move to 7-5 on the season.
Week 14 vs Miami Dolphins: 30-20 LOSS
The Justin Herbert vs Tua Tagovailoa conversation is going to be interesting heading into this game and is probably going to be made worse by Emmanuel Acho after the game. The worst quarterback will win this matchup as Tua's weapons will be too much for the Chargers to handle.
This is going to be a very similar game to the 49ers game earlier in the season where the Chargers simply don't have the defensive scheme to stop the explosive athletes that Miami has on the offensive side of the ball.
Miami's offense is not as good as the 49ers but it is still very respectable and they will send the house at Justin Herbert and get away with it because of the lack of explosive weapons at receiver for the Bolts.
Week 15 vs Tennessee Titans: 27-20, WIN
Things will start to come together for the Chargers in Week 15. This feels like a safe spot to predict Mike Williams to return. It might be a bit further than the estimated time to come back but as we always see with this team, it usually takes a week or two longer than they tell us.
Joey Bosa could also be back in the fold by Week 15, which is a massive addition to this defense. The ability to get pressure on the quarterback with just four rushers is what this defense desperately lacks right now.
This feels like it will be similar to the Week 1 game against the Raiders. Justin Herbert and the Chargers' offense will be just good enough, while Ryan Tannehill's mistakes will ultimately negate a big Derrick Henry game and cost the Titans the game. At this point, the Chargers would be 8-6.
Week 16 at Indianapolis Colts: 34-18 WIN
It is going to take 16 weeks but the Chargers will finally get their first definitive win of the season in Week 16 against a bad Indianapolis Colts team. Think the Chargers' 4-3 record is deceiving? The Colts might be one of the worst teams in the entire league and they are still in the playoff hunt.
The season will essentially be over for the Colts at this point, regardless of who is at quarterback. They will be worried more about their draft position at this point. By my calculations, they will be 4-9-1 at this point in the season. 5-8-1 at best.
The Chargers will also likely be the healthiest that they will be all year, giving them an easy edge over the Colts to move to 9-6.
Week 17 vs LA Rams: 29-27 LOSS
As bad as the Rams have looked at times this season, they still have to be respected. Plus, it is not like the Chargers have always looked great this year, so expecting them to simply win this game because the Rams have played poorly is silly.
Even with a healthy defense it is hard to trust the Chargers to be able to stop Cooper Kupp and the Rams' offense. The Rams will be playing for a wild-card spot at this point and will be spamming Kupp like they did in the playoffs simply to get the job done. Even with Derwin James, the Chargers don't have an answer for that.
Sean McVay knows Brandon Staley's defense in an out and that will result in a close win for the Rams as the Chargers won't be able to get it done on the final drive of the game to win it. Like last season, they will be 9-7 heading into Week 18.
Week 18 at Denver Broncos: 23-18 WIN
However, unlike last season the Chargers will get the job done in Week 18 against an AFC West opponent. The Denver Broncos have been a dumpster fire this season and that likely is not going to change by Week 18. Denver had a huge win in Week 8 that kept the season from slipping altogether but that does not change who they are and how poorly they are coached.
Denver has a pretty rough schedule after the bye week that looks even bleaker with the team not being as good as many expected before the season. They still have to play the Chiefs twice and play another bonafide playoff team in the Ravens. That feels like three automatic losses right there.
In terms of automatic wins, Denver has the Panthers and that is really about it. The remaining opponents are the Titans, Raiders, Cardinals and Rams. If they beat the Panthers and go .500 against those four opponents they would have a 7-10 record in Week 18.
MUST-READ: Chargers who have been shockingly great before the bye week
At that point, they would just be trying to play spoiler to the Chargers, who should be able to overcome that with a playoff spot on the line to finish with a 10-7 record. It might seem crazy, but a 6-4 record after the bye is definitely doable.