2016-2017 Chargers Preview & NFL Future Lines
Looking for 2016 San Diego Chargers Predictions? We’ve got your back. The Chargers enter the 2016 season with a typical sense of optimism looking to avenge an ugly 4-12 season in which injuries and poor play on both sides of the ball plagued the team. Philip Rivers still exists as one of the better QBs in the league but the team inexplicably failed to make significant upgraded in almost every other aspect of the game.
2016 San Diego Chargers Predictions – Futures Odds
2017 San Diego Chargers Super Bowl 51 Odds +6600
2017 AFC Champion odds San Diego Chargers +3300
2017 AFC West – Odds to Win San Diego Chargers +650
Season Win Totals San Diego Chargers – 7
Updated Sportsbook Bonuses For Today
2016 Chargers Roster Changes
You can’t make 2016 San Diego Chargers predictions without examining roster changes. Gone are RB Donald Brown, TE Ladarius Green, G Johnnie Troutman, DE/DT Kendall Reyes, ILB Donald Butler, ILB Kavell Conner, CB Patrick Robinson, S Eric Weddle.
New to the roster are WR Travis Benjamin, G/C Matt Slauson, NT Brandon Mebane, CB Casey Hayward, S Dwight Lowery during an offseason characterized by a head-scratching draft and an inability to address the team’s obvious glaring weaknesses.
Can the Chargers make a run at a suddenly wide-open AFC West? Or can we expect another underwhelming season in Southern California? Let’s take a look.
2016 San Diego Chargers Predictions: Offense
The San Diego Chargers weren’t all that bad offensively last year – injuries to Keenan Allen and rookie RB Melvin Gordon really handcuffed this team. The Chargers added Travis Benjamin from Cleveland – he and Allen make up a formidable WR duo for Rivers to throw to.
The presence of the steady but aging Antonio Gates is also a plus for a team that will likely be throwing a ton in the upcoming season.
The issue for the Chargers is the fact that the O-line (one of the worst in the NFL last year) still looks poor on paper.
It’s true that injuries were a huge factor last year but Orlando Franklin, the surprisingly ineffective King Dunlap and the underwhelming DJ Fluker still exist to protect their aging Quarterback.
San Diego re-signed their best O-lineman Joseph Barksdale and they did add center Matt Slauson from the Bears but still, this unit looks shaky at best heading into camp and could top out as just an average unit this year.
The San Diego running game also underachieved – they took no pressure off of Philip Rivers during the 2015 campaign. To think that they will be drastically improved this year is a bit of a pipe dream.
Melvin Gordon, when healthy was poor, gaining just 3.5 YPC with ZERO TDs and he is coming off microfracture surgery that could plague him all season long.
That means that we could see a lot of Danny Woodhead again – he is at best a serviceable third down back – not of the starting caliber that most teams enjoy.
I suppose that the passing game could light it up this year with three quality pass-catching options but without a threat in the run game and a dependable O-line, expect Philip Rivers to be running for his life again and for the Chargers to be forced into far-too-frequent mistakes.
And then there is their horrendous defense!
2016 San Diego Chargers Predictions: Defense
Injuries played a part in San Diego’s porous defense last year – they allowed an astounding 4.8 yards per carry in 2015.
San Diego ignored its needs on the O-line in attempts to rectify this issue – they drafted Joey Bosa, who projects to be an average run-stopper, they signed Brandon Mebane from the Seahawks and they retained Corey Liuget who was injured most of last year.
Melvin Ingram and Jeremiah Attaochu give the D-line some hope – they were solid, not spectacular last year.
San Diego should be a little bit better up front defensively assuming they stay healthy – there was nowhere to go but up after the 2015 season.
That brings us to the horrid secondary that lost one of its best players – safety Eric Weddle left after some battles with the coaching staff leaving an enormous void on this defense.
Dwight Lowery from the Colts was signed as a less-than-spectacular replacement for Weddle and the penalty machine Jahleel Addae still exists.
Casey Hayward from the Packers was a nice signing to play alongside Brandon Flowers and Jason Verrett – they too were seriously underwhelming last year.
The linebacking corp. is also a huge question mark.
Manti Te’o was brutal last year and will get another shot alongside second-year player Denzel Perryman. It’s another area in which the Chargers are seriously underwhelming as we enter the 2016 campaign.
2016 San Diego Chargers Analysis:
By now you should have gotten the idea that I am not all that high on the Chargers in 2016. After all this is a team that went 2-6 at home last year and is 15-25 on home turf since 2011 – ugly!
I suppose if the stars align and everyone on the roster stays healthy the Chargers could be a .500 team but I just don’t see it. 6-10 and another last place finish in the AFC West is where I envision this team in 2016.
2016 NFL Gambling
What do you think about our 2016 San Diego Chargers predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in the 2016-2017 NFL Season!
The 2016 NFL futures betting season is here in full force! If you like to bet on NFL football, you are in the best possible place for online betting. CappersPicks.com has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find weekly NFL football lines up for early games as well.
Check out our Updated NFL Football Betting Odds today! Click to view more 2016/17 NFL Predictions.
