NFL L.A. Chargers Odds: Offense In-Depth Betting Analysis

The Los Angeles Chargers have been presented as one of the rising teams in the AFC for several seasons now. After the departure of Phillip Rivers, the longtime Chargers quarterback known for prolific numbers – and backbreaking interceptions – the team turned the offense over to Justin Herbert. Herbert’s arm is elite in terms of strength and accuracy, and yet the team has failed to break through. They posted a 10-7 record in 2022, but that could easily have been 12-5, if the Chargers hadn’t coughed up a pair of leads in their losses to the Kansas City Chiefs. They also allowed 31 points in a Week 18 loss to Denver – a Broncos team that, even with that big total, still finished dead last in the NFL in scoring. Can the Chargers be more consistent in 2023, at least on offense? Let’s break down that side of the ball as you consider your NFL betting choices for the coming fall.

NFL Betting News: In-Depth Analysis of the L.A. Chargers Offense

Make no mistake about it – Justin Herbert is a franchise quarterback who should guide the Chargers for years to come. As a rookie, he showed none of the yips that many talented college quarterbacks struggle with in the first season at NFL game speed. He completed 67 percent of his passes with a 31:10 TD:INT ratio. According to Pro Football Focus, he earned a quarterback grade of 79.9, good for 16th in the NFL – a sound season for an NFL rookie. In 2021, his second year in the league, he had a 38:15 TD:INT ratio and completed 66 percent of his passes. His Pro Football Focus grade (90.0) was third in the NFL. He remains under team control on a rookie deal, which is why the Chargers brought in such big names on defense coming into 2022 as J.C. Jackson and Khalil Mack, but the defense gave away a big lead over Jacksonville in the wild-card playoff game, and the offense could not respond once the Jaguars started their comeback.

However, Herbert’s numbers in 2022 were a cause for concern. In Week 2, he went down with a rib injury; over the next five contests, he had just six touchdown passes and completed just 64 percent of his passes. In the other 12 games he played in, his completion rate was 70%, and he had 19 touchdown passes against seven interceptions. He bounced back nicely, and it’s important to remember that he is still just 25 years old. The Chargers do need to add some depth at quarterback; their backups right now are Easton Stick, whom the team drafted in the fifth round in 2019 but has just one career passing attempt in the regular season, and Max Duggan, who guided TCU to a number of unlikely wins against subpar Big 12 defenses but ran into reality against Georgia in the national championship game and may still be too shell-shocked to take the field against an NFL defense.

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The wide receiver group remains solid, but this is likely Keenan Allen’s last season with the Chargers. He only played in ten games in 2021 and was paid $16.5 million for his 2022 seasons. He is now 31 years old; receivers at that age are over a third less likely to hit 1,000 or more receiving yards than 29-year-olds at the same position. The reason why the Chargers likely didn’t go ahead and move him coming into 2023 is that the top name behind him, Josh Palmer, has not put up the same numbers that he has. In the draft, the Chargers took Quentin Johnson out of TCU at wide receiver, and Mike Williams also returns. Even so, Johnson should get some significant time as a rookie as Williams missed four regular-season games and the playoff loss due to injury. He is just going to be 29 years old this season. Derius Davis came through the draft in the fourth round to add depth.

Tailback Austin Ekeler contributed to the passing game last season, leading the Chargers with 127 targets – 19th most in the NFL among all positions. Kellen Moore comes to the Chargers as the new offensive coordinator, but given what the Chargers have at the skill positions, they should still be run-heavy, and Ekeler should still get plenty of looks. In the running game, Ekeler led the team with 915 yards and 13 scores on the ground, averaging 4.49 yards per carry. He is entering his age-28 season, which is when many tailbacks start to see their production start to drop.

With plenty of talent at the skill positions, the Chargers look to be set on offense. Their defense needs to rise to the level of their talent on paper to execute and help this team push Kansas City even harder in the AFC West.

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2023 Los Angeles Chargers Offense Positions for the Season