2011 San Diego Chargers Predictions
The Chargers managed their seventh straight non-losing season in 2010 but saw their string of four consecutive division titles come to an end. It was a disappointing campaign to say the least for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
The fact that San Diego boasted the best offense and defense in the NFL made the season even more disappointing.
The Chargers were done in by poor special teams play and costly turnovers. These two things need to be sewn up if the Bolts are going to make a Super Bowl run.
Offense: The Chargers led the NFL in total offense in 2010 with 395.6 yards per game. They ranked second in scoring with 27.6 points per contest.
Led by three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers, who completed nearly 66.0 percent of his passes for 4,710 yards with 30 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, San Diego ranked second in the league with 282.4 passing yards per game.
There’s no reason to believe the passing game won’t hum again in 2011. Rivers has now had three straight seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards, and he’ll have Vincent Jackson for the entire season.
Jackson had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons before appearing in only five games last year.
Antonio Gates has battled injuries in recent seasons but proved he is still an elite tight end by catching 50 passes for 782 yards and 10 scores a year ago.
Malcolm Floyd is a dangerous deep threat. He averaged 19.4 yards per catch in 2010.
The running game will play second fiddle in San Diego as long as Rivers is under center, but the Chargers are very happy with the progress it showed last season. The Bolts ranked 15th in the league with 113.1 yards per game on the ground. This came after they ranked 31st with only 88.9 rushing yards per game in 2009.
Mike Tolbert and Ryan Matthews led the way, combining for 1,413 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns.
San Diego is very solid up front with a trio of Pro Bowlers (Marcus McNeill, Kris Dielman, Nick Hardwick).
Defense: The stop unit led the league in total defense in 2010 with 271.6 yards allowed per game. It ranked 10th in scoring defense with 20.1 points allowed per contest.
The defensive front stood strong last season and helped the Bolts rank fourth in the league against the run. This unit could be even better in 2011 after adding the talented Corey Liuget in the draft.
Shaun Phillips anchors the second layer of the defense from his outside linebacker post. He led the team with 11 sacks in 2010 and helped the Bolts finished tied for second in the NFL with 47 sacks.
Phillips has recorded at least seven sacks in each of the last six seasons.
The secondary put the clamps on opposing receivers last year and the Chargers finished No. 1 in the league against the pass as a result.
Antoine Cason and Quentin Jammer are solid corners. The safety position will be upgraded by former Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders if he can stay healthy.
Prediction: 1st Place AFC West – The Chargers should reclaim the top spot in the West if they clean up their special teams play and cut down on the turnovers. The bigger question is if they can finally reach the Super Bowl. NFL odds makers have listed them among the favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Individual Team NFL Season Predictions
