Special Preview- NFL, Week One 

Los Angeles Chargers at Washington Football Team

Chargers: Although they failed to qualify for the playoffs last season, they were able to get a glimpse of their future with their young quarterback, Justin Herbert. I like this kid and I think he has a tremendous future ahead of him. Last season, Justin threw 31 touchdown passes which is now a record from a rookie quarterback. I feel the Chargers have what it takes to be a playoff team. They have weapons galore. Austin Ekeler is solid when healthy, Keenan Allen is one of the best wide receivers in this game and new head coach, Brandon Staley hired Joe Lombardi to run the offense. Joe spent the last 12 years on Sean Payton’s staff in New Orleans. When you have a young quarterback, the goal is to always keep him on his feet which is why they revamped that offensive line so Justin will be able to spin the ball down the field. In the draft, they selected Rashawn Slater out of Northwestern. Under former defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, the Chargers were too predictable on defense. They were very zone heavy which resulted in them giving up a ton of big plays down the field. This is where Brandon will come in. He will implement more man to man looks across the board with two safeties high at all times. I’m excited for Derwin James to be back this year. The Chargers start their season in the Nation’s capital on Sunday.

Washington: In such a bad division last year, they were the most consistent when it mattered the most. If I had to describe them in 2020, it was resilient. Ron Rivera was dealing with chemotherapy and Alex Smith returned after that awful leg injury he suffered in 2018. Alex announced his retirement in March this off-season. They had a decision to make. Stick with Taylor Heinicke at quarterback or bring in a veteran. Ryan Fitzpatrick signed with the team in the off-season. Washington was sneaky active during free agency. I kept saying throughout last year they needed to get another weapon to line up on the opposite side of Terry McLaurin because he was their only true weapon on the outside. Now, you add Curtis Samuel into the picture (played for Ron in Carolina) and Dyami Brown, a rookie from North Carolina. With Curtis, he will bring versatility because he can play outside, inside and out of the backfield. Under Jack Del Rio, the Football Team became a top five defense in many statistical categories. This is the best front four in football right now. They have four guys who can consistently create pressure and attack. Montez Sweat is on one end, Jonathan Taylor and Daron Payne control the inside and Chase Young is what stirs the drink for this entire unit. This defense is exactly why I picked them to repeat as NFC East division champions in 2021 because it’s the best unit out of all the teams in the division. They kick off the season at home this Sunday.

Chargers X-Factor: Kenneth Murray– If the defensive line can create havoc up front, he will be able to freely roam around to make plays. For the Chargers defense to be amongst the best, Kenneth will need to improve his play along with Drue Tranquill who will be back and healthy. Their linebacking core will be productive if these two play well.

Washington X-Factor: Landon Collins– Last year, he was sidelined after tearing his Achilles. We hear so much about that front four, he’s been under the radar some. When healthy, Landon is one of the best safeties in the game. He does such a good job at playing both phases of the football game which is the run and pass. I look for him to be all over trying to contain Ekeler or even pick up Jared Cook.

Final Thoughts: When I saw this matchup, I was intrigued by it. You have both Rookies of the Year from last season featured in this one. Justin won Offensive Rookie of the Year while Chase was named Defensive Rookie of the Year. The key matchup I’m watching in this game is the Chargers offensive line against that Washington defensive front. This is a litmus test for the Chargers right out the gate. You went all in to keep your quarterback protected, now is the time to show it. The only thing I’m c0ncerned about with Washington is Ryan Fitzpatrick because he can turn the ball over and be careless with it. I see this being a low scoring affair with both defenses rising to the occasion. Whoever creates that one turnover in the fourth quarter will come out on top.

Prediction: Washington 19 Chargers 14