After a one year extended vacation in Baltimore, the injury bug has a new journey in its sights. Much like the Gold Rush, this fictional insect made the trek out west, settling in Los Angeles with the NFL’s Chargers.
Whether the bug gets a shot at starring in a Hollywood film remains to be seen, but for now, it might just have to settle for an ESPN documentary. Picture it.
“What if I told you that one team, like an iPhone battery, went from fully charged to completely drained and devoid of purpose within the blink of an eye?”
Someone should notify the Academy because this one sounds like a winner. Head coach Brandon Staley’s Chargers are in a tough spot, staring down a CVS-like receipt list of injuries and almost all of them are to significant players. The NFL might be a “next man up” type of league, but eventually, the well runs dry.
With injuries to Justin Herbert, Keenan Allen, Rashawn Slater, Corey Linsley, J.C. Jackson, and now Joey Bosa, it is safe to say the well has run dry. Out of that group, only the offensive lineman Slater is set to miss the remainder of the season, while Bosa’s injury will force him out of action for the foreseeable future, due to the core muscle surgery he will be receiving. .
Just think, through almost three quarters of Week 2’s Thursday Night Football game, Staley’s Chargers looked like the team to beat in the AFC West. Now, they are just hoping to field a good enough 53 man roster to limp into the playoffs as a Wild Card.
The odds reflect that too as the Chargers began the preseason around +250 on Caesar’s to win the division, but are now +400.
Despite Herbert battling through the injury, there is no denying it is complicating things. He looks like a player that is compromised and now with a defense that has also lost Bosa, even more pressure will shift over toward the offensive side of the ball.
Combine all of that with a coach like Staley who left his aggressiveness in 2021 and you have a recipe for disaster and disappointment. At this point, it’s almost impossible to project where this team will be at the end of the year, especially with Staley committing coaching malpractice by letting Herbert play even once the game is out of reach.
Even though the AFC West is not nearly as competitive as previously thought, Los Angeles is in a difficult spot early in the year. That is the exact reason why it’s time to pounce on a team like the Chiefs who, despite all of their flaws, remain the team to beat until proven otherwise.
Get in on the action by heading over to our friends at BetMGM and placing your bet on the Chiefs to win another division crown at -105, meaning a $100 bet will net you another $95.24.
If you’re feeling really frisky, consider taking a shot on the Texans to pull off the upset this week, but we’ll have more on that in the picks column coming later this week.