Los Angeles Chargers vs. Washington Football Betting Preview
The Chargers will look for their second-year quarterback, Justin Herbert, to help them compete in the AFC West, one of the toughest divisions in football. Washington is counting on their new quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to make an immediate impact and lead this young team to back-to-back NFC East championships.
Can Justin Herbert get the Chargers to the Playoffs?
2020 saw the Chargers end their season with a record of 7-9. While that is not great, it is better than the 5-11 years they had previously. If the Chargers can keep trending in this positive fashion, 2021 should be a good year. Looking to make that happen for them is their second-year quarterback Justin Herbert.
Coming off his Rookie of the Year performance in 2020, Herbert will have all the eyes on him. He was able to throw for 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns last season.
He only threw 10 interceptions and was able to complete over 66% of his passes. If Herbert is going to put up similar numbers this year, he will need help from the guys in the running backs room, Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson.
The defense is looking for a big uptick in production with the hiring of Brandon Staley as their head coach. With previous roles as defensive coordinator, Staley comes into that Chargers’ lockerroom looking to make them better on that side of the ball. The best defensive player for the Chargers, Joey Bosa, has been on record talking about his excitement for the new addition.
Washington has to Help this Defense
Washington Football Team has one of the most dynamic and talented defenses in the National Football League. They have the defensive Rookie of the Year in Chase Young as well as third-year player Montez Sweat on their defensive line.
Their secondary has players like Kendall Fuller and Landon Collins, who have all been known to make big plays. At inside linebacker, they will have another young superstar in Jamin Davis. The rookie out of Kentucky comes in after three seasons at the college level and will more than likely start on a top defense in the NFL.
The defense can be great, but if the offense can not produce, it will not matter. Under center for Washington will be newly acquired Ryan Fitzpatrick. In his 17th year in the league, Fitzpatrick has shown glimpses of being a top guy; however, it has never been able to last a full season.
The Picks
According to several sportsbooks, this game is a straight pick’em. What does that mean? There is no line for this game, they are both evenly matched, and neither team will have a points advantage for betting purposes. The total point line is currently at 44½.
Both teams had a 7-9 record last season. The Chargers had seven games where they were under the total points, while the Washington Football Team had 11. This game could be very tight throughout, and it is just a battle between Herbert and the Washington Defense.
Take the Los Angeles Chargers to win (-102) and over 44½ points (-110).