Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #10
by adelfish | 5 years ago | 0 Comments
Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #10
Welcome to the 2020 Red Zone Power Ranking Preview. In this long-running preview, I will be going team at a time, ranking them 32-1, discussing the user, the team, the schedule, etc.
COVERED TEAMS: Lions, Jaguars, Bengals, Patriots, Bears, Vikings, Dolphins, Seahawks, Rams, Giants, Cowboys, Saints, Steelers, Panthers, Raiders, Browns, Texans, Jets, Cardinals, Falcons, Bills, Washington Football Team
And here we arrive at the top ten, finally. 22 teams have been previewed, ripped, shredded apart, and now we have a look at the tier I like to call 'Contenders'. All 10 of these teams have a legitimate shot at reaching their conference's respective title game, in my opinion.
How will these teams fare in Season 62 and beyond? The common theme that you will see throughout these next 10 spots is 'just get in the tournament', but after that, who is the most likely to succeed? Think of these next 10 like that, my 10-1 most likely teams to hoist the 62nd Red Zone trophy.
#10 - Los Angeles Chargers (IJ)
(11-5 Projected Record)
7th Seed, Loss in Wild Card Round
Enter the ultra-competitive AFC West, a division that we figure to have three double digit win teams in Season 62, starting with the 11 win, third place, Los Angeles Chargers. What a shame that these three stud coaches ended up together, as only one can win the division.
The mantra of 'make the tournament' is perfect for the West, as Coaches Astin, Spittah, and Johns just want to get their talented teams into the playoffs, and cause their damage there. Ultimately, what does a division title do outside of bragging rights and a home playoff game?
Let's take a look at this Chargers team, one I find extremely talented, and could be closer to 1st than you think.
One Big Question
Coming off a hot second half of the cycle in Cleveland, high expectations arrive in Los Angeles with Coach Ian Johns. In a division with Astin, Spittah, and Tiko, can Coach Johns take the next step and remain competitive?
It will be discussed ad nauseum in the coming weeks, but how exciting is this division going to be on and off the field? My goodness, the personalities in these four locker rooms. Funny enough, the most reserved is here in Los Angeles.
The Chargers are one of the most interesting teams in the league right now, as they are an experienced, veteran team, that looks to be on the brink of seriously contending. On the other hand, they allowed franchise quarerback Phillip Rivers to walk away from the team unceremoniously, and replace him with 1st round quartebrack Justin Herbert.
How will Ian develop Herbert? That is the question on everyone's mind, and it is the key to the success of this organization. The defense is loaded, and is absolutely championship caliber. The offense is stocked with weapons, but it all hinges on if Herbert can lead this team to success.
Ian proved in Cleveland he can build an offense that leads to success for the quarterback, but can he do it against one of the greatest coaches in Red Zone history twice a year?
One Big Schedule Issue
The AFC West is a bloodbath, as I have the Chargers going 3-3 in the division, splitting with all three of their opponents (do not sleep on the Raiders).
There are 7 games I predict them to face against teams with winning records, and I have them going 4-3 in those games. Buccaneers, Jets, Broncos 2x, Chiefs 2x, Bills. The only game outside of the West I see them losing is the Buccaneers.
The issue for me in this schedule lies in this division. A common trend we will see is falling behind early will push those teams into catchup mode. Losing divison games is massive here, and there is little room for error. Thankfully, with drawing the NFC South and AFC East, the Chargers have some easier games.
Reasons for Optimism
There is so much to like about this roster, starting on offense the weapons around Herbert are impressive. Austin Ekeler took Melvin Gordon's job and ran with it, a player who has improved each year of his 3 year career. He earned a nice 3 year extension from the Chargers, and will be an awesome threat for Herbert out of the backfield.
Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are one of the better wide receiver duos in the league, one of the best pure possession tandems you can find. Decisions will have to be made on both soon, as both have contracts expiring by Season 64. If Hunter Henry can stay healthy, he has proven he can be a very talented tight end in this leauge, giving Herbert four legitimate weapons.
The offensive line saw some major upgrades, with the additions of Bryan Bulaga in free agency, and Trai Turner via trade. Mike Pouncey will start at center, and the young Dan Feeney is still promising. Still work to be done here, but two really good starters in Bulaga and Turner.
Defensively is where the Chargers make their money, and it all starts with Joey Bosa. One of the best edge rushers in football, he is only 25 years old, and is locked in for the next 5 seasons. He will lead the Chargers every year in sacks, and is the key piece to this defense. Along the line is more talent, with edge rusher Melvin Ingram, defensive tackle Linval Joseph, and linebacker Uchenna Nwosu. The Chargers are scary deep up front.
The Chargers drafted Kenneth Murray with their second 1st round pick, and he will start for them at linebacker, likely next to veteran Denzel Perryman, a really solid duo.
The secondary may be the best in football. Their trio of cornerbacks in Chris Harris, Desmond King, and Casey Hayward is very formidable, then you add superstar safety Derwin James to the mix? It's lockdown.
This defense is full of starts, and they have a blue chip player at each level of the defense. It is going to be very interesting to see how teams move the ball on the Chargers.
Reasons for Negativity
It starts with the quarterback unfortunately, with Justin Herbert slated to start for the Chargers. Now, I don't dislike Herbert. He has a ton of upside, and the Johns coaching staff is a very good one, but is he the right for them in the next couple seasons? What if he doesn't develop right? This Chargers team is set up for success right now, and over the course of the next few seasons. What if the quarterback isn't the right one?
Now, veteran backup Tyrod Taylor isn't going to push Herbert, and I doubt Coach Johns is even tempted to go with him, but what if Herbert simply isn't good enough? Will they go back to the veteran to right the ship? Or is this roster going to be counted on to outweigh any negatives the rookie brings?
Outside of the big quarterback question, there are some issues I mentioned earlier on the offensive line, especially the left side. I am a little worried about the depth behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, and they will be relying on rookie linebacker Kenneth Murray a lot.
But outisde of that? This roster is loaded. The cap situation is great, as the Chargers free up $50 million next offseason, some of which will have to be used to re-sign Allen, Feeney, Forrest Lamp, Ingram, and Perryman.
Last Word
The Chargers have what we like to call, an 'Astin Problem'. Can they get over that roadblock? That will be the true test of this regime. Every season they will have to be prepared to go through the gauntlet of 6 competitive division games, and then face the rest of a brutal AFC. Ian's work is going to be cut out for him.
I love his chances though. Financially, this roster has been taken great care of. The draft picks have been consistently good, and this team has tons of young up and coming talent, to go along with it's plethora of veterans. Ian proved last cycle in Cleveland he is a great general manager, all he has to do here is keep the pieces together.
Is Herbert the quarterback, and can Ian compete with Spittah and Astin? Those two questions will be repeated time and time again. If one of them is 'Yes', I think this could be the cycle where we see him hoist a trophy.