It’s probably a make-or-break season in Los Angeles for Chargers coach Brandon Staley. He got the team to the playoffs last year but better win at least one postseason game this season with such a talented roster around QB Justin Herbert.

A Closer Look at the L.A. Chargers 2023 NFL Season

should we REALLY make our schedule release video an anime AGAIN?

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— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) May 12, 2023

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• NFL Week 1: vs. Miami Dolphins — 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 2: at Tennessee Titans — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 4: vs. Las Vegas Raiders — 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 5: BYE
• NFL Week 6: vs. Dallas Cowboys — 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• NFL Week 7: at Kansas City Chiefs — 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 8: vs. Chicago Bears — 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
• NFL Week 9: at New York Jets — 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• NFL Week 10: vs. Detroit Lions — 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 11: at Green Bay Packers — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 12: vs. Baltimore Ravens — 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
• NFL Week 13: at New England Patriots — 1:00 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 14: vs. Denver Broncos — 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 15: at Las Vegas Raiders — 8:15 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
• NFL Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills — 8:00 p.m. ET (Peacock)
• NFL Week 17: at Denver Broncos — 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 18: vs. Kansas City Chiefs — TBD (TBD)

2022 Wasn’t on Their Side

With the Chargers at 6-6 last year following a 27-20 loss at the Raiders, Los Angeles Coach Brandon Staley was in some trouble. But the Bolts won their next four games to clinch a wild card spot and save his job – a 31-28 loss in Denver in Week 18 was meaningless but for some reason Staley played starting wideout Mike Williams and Williams got hurt. That left him unavailable for the 31-30 loss in Jacksonville in the wild card game in which LA blew a 27-0 late second-quarter lead. The Jaguars put together a 2-minute scoring drive that ended with a touchdown with 24 seconds left and it was a sign of things to come for the Bolts defense.

The unit allowed just 108 yards and seven points in the first half, but 24 points and 282 yards in the second half: “22 years of playing football in my life, this one probably hurt the most,” said star safety Derwin James Jr.

That loss put Staley right back on the hot seat — especially for not having Williams — and he fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Shane Day shortly after the loss. The offense as a whole regressed in 2022. The Chargers finished fourth in Football Outsiders’ offensive DVOA in 2021. They ranked 19th last year. The Bolts could not run the ball effectively all season, and that was the primary issue in the team’s epic loss against the Jaguars.

Who’s In and Who’s Out?

Former Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is the new OC. He’s drawn rave reviews, even garnering praise from Herbert, wide receiver Keenan Allen and others. The Chargers want a more consistent run game and more explosive plays overall. Moore has twice had the league’s No. 1 offense in terms of yards per game as an offensive coordinator, and also led the NFL’s highest scoring offense in 2021.

Star Bolts running back Austin Ekeler did request a trade earlier this offseason, but that was for salary reasons, and he’s now ready to play out the final year of his contract. The two sides mended their fences last month when the Chargers added $1.75 million in incentives to Ekeler’s current contract. Since 2021, Ekeler leads the NFL with 38 touchdowns from scrimmage.

The team also added a big-play threat for Herbert on offense in drafting TCU receiver Quentin Johnston at No. 21 overall. He was second in college football last year with 8.9 yards after the catch per reception, and finished the season with 60 receptions for 1,069 yards — the most by a Horned Frog player since 2018. With 4.51 speed and tremendous size at 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, Johnston could be the missing element the Bolts were lacking a season ago.

Through his first three seasons, Herbert has passed for 14,089 yards, more than any other player in NFL history through their first three years. Despite throwing for the fewest touchdowns of his career last season, he finally saw his team’s success result in a postseason appearance. With Herbert behind center, the Chargers are 25-24. They should be better.

The big move defensively was adding former Vikings All-Pro linebacker Eric Kendricks in free agency. One of the most productive linebackers since being drafted by Minnesota in the second round (45th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft, Kendricks has topped 100 tackles in seven-straight seasons, good for the NFL’s second-longest active streak. Kendricks returns to Los Angeles, where he was an award-winning linebacker at UCLA from 2011-14.

The Chargers also devoted Day 2 of the draft defense, drafting USC edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu and Washington State linebacker Daiyan Henley. Tuipulotu racked up 60 total pressures in 2022, and Henley posted 20 run stops.

The Move Hasn’t Been Great

Since the franchise moved to Los Angeles before the 2017 season, the Chargers have the second-worst ATS record in the NFL (19-28-2), only ahead of the New York Giants. They are 2.5-point favorites for Week 1 vs. Miami. It will only be the second time the Bolts and Dolphins have met in Week 1 in their histories. The Chargers earned a 50-28 win in the only other meeting, which came back in 1986. The teams played Week 14 last year in LA and the Chargers won 23-17 as their defense dominated and Herbert outplayed Tua Tagovailoa.

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READ MORE: L.A. Chargers 2023 NFL Season Betting Guide