⚡Lightning Bolts

Justin Herbert and the Chargers are primed to win.

Sep 01, 2023

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🔥 Turbo Charged

The Los Angeles Chargers have all the pieces to make a deep run this season.

Justin Herbert is cleared for takeoff. (Jeff Lewis/AP Photo)

✅ Go time: The Chargers are healthy after being decimated with injuries to key players last season. Quarterback Justin Herbert suffered torn rib cartilage in Week 2 and wasn’t the same. Wide receiver Keenan Allen, left tackle Rashawn Slater, edge Joey Bosa, and cornerback J.C. Jackson all missed time, but they are ready to roll.

🐕‍🦺 Release the hounds: The Chargers have the talent, the quarterback, and now bring in an offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, who should unlock Justin Herbert and the offense. If this team can stay healthy, they have the components for a deep playoff run.

💪 Money talks: Justin Herbert is 25 and enters his fourth NFL season after signing a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the Chargers this summer. Herbert completed 68.2 percent of his passes in 2022 for 4,739 yards and 25 touchdowns with only 10 interceptions. He showed his fortitude by playing through significant injuries and still willed this decimated team to 10 wins.

NFL MVP 2023-24

Patrick Mahomes +600
Joe Burrow +750
Josh Allen +850
Jalen Hurts +1100
Justin Herbert +1200

🎂 No cakewalk: The Chargers went 1-5 against teams with a winning record, which is bad news for a team stepping up in strength of schedule. The Chargers have a top-5 most difficult schedule and the 6th-worst net rest advantage. They didn’t make any big roster changes this offseason despite being league-average at best on both sides of the ball.

🍿 Moore for less: Head coach Brandon Staley resorted to more traditional, conservative play calling in 2022, antithetical to his aggressive, analytics-driven style in previous years. That could change with Moore. Staley told ESPN's Dan Graziano that Moore "excels at not bogging down the QB with ancillary stuff, and that it will allow Herbert to play faster and more aggressively this season."

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🏆 Herbie goes bananas: The Bolts believe Herbert can lead them to an NFL title. With a healthy receiving corps, his arm talent, and uptempo playcalling, Herbert also could bring home the MVP.

Super Bowl 2024

Kansas City Chiefs +600
Philadelphia Eagles +650
Buffalo Bills +900
San Francisco 49ers +1000
Cincinnati Bengals +1100
Dallas Cowboys +1400
New York Jets +1600
Baltimore Ravens +1800
Detroit Lions +2200
Los Angeles Chargers +2500

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💰 Chargers Betting Insights

The Charges had a 11-5-1 record against the spread in 2022.
Last season, seven Chargers games went over the point total.
The Chargers ranked 9th in the NFL in total offense with 359.3 yards per game in 2022 and 20th in total defense with 346.1 yards allowed per contest.
The Chargers scored 391 points (23.0 per game) last season (13th of 32) and allowed 384 points (22.6, 21st of 32).
The Chargers went 5-3 at home and 5-4 on the road.
When underdogs, the Chargers had five victories (5-1) versus a 6-4-1 record when favored.
The Chargers were 7-5 vs. the AFC, including 2-4 in the AFC West.
The Chargers have a 4-9 record as underdogs at home since 2016.

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👷 Quote du Jour: Back to Work

"I'm excited to actually play football. and go out there and have to not worry about anything else and move forward from everything and go win some games. That's really what we're here for."

—Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson on signing a four-year contract extension that will pay him at least $66 million and up to $68.5 million, putting summer injuries and illness behind him and resetting the tight end market. The average annual value of the deal is $17.125 million, and Hockenson will make $42.5 million guaranteed, both the highest for a tight end in NFL history. Hockenson finished second among NFL tight ends in the 2022 NFL season with 86 receptions for 914 yards in 17 combined games with Minnesota and Detroit. The Vikings sent a 2023 second-round draft pick and a 2024 third-round draft pick to the Lions for Hockenson and two draft picks (a fourth-round draft pick in 2023 and a conditional draft pick in 2024). A healthy Hockenson will be a big part of the Vikings offense.

🎧 Listen Up

📣 Best bets galore: Chris Dell and NFL betting expert Steve Rieder preview every AFC and NFC team before the 2023 NFL season.

🏟️ College winners: SleepyJ and Dalton Brown break down College Football Week 1 and give their picks.

📈 Number of the Day: 30-60

That’s how many home runs and stolen bases Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña has this MLB season. Acuña is the first player in AL/NL history to record 30-plus homers and 60-plus steals in a season. Eric Davis (1987) and Barry Bonds (1990) were the only players to steal 50-plus bases during a 30-homer season, but Acuña topped them with the first 30-60 year.