Despite entering the 2018 NFL regular season as one of the top favorites to dethrone New England for conference supremacy a year ago, Philip Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers came up short once again of reaching their intended postseason destination, Now, as they get set for the upcoming 2019 campaign, Rivers and the Bolts have one thing on their collective minds – ending their perennial status as bridesmaids.
Whether the Chargers finally end their underachieving ways or whether they come up short once again, there are a bunch of things you need to know about the AFC West Super Bowl hopefuls before they take to the gridiron in 2019. Let’s find out all about the Bolts right now.
Los Angeles Chargers 2019 NFL Season Betting Guide
Betting Statistics
- ATS: 12-4(W-L) / 9-7-0 (ATS) / 2-6-0 (Home) / 7-1-0 (Away) / 7-7-0 (Grass) / 2-0-0 (Turf)
- O/U: 8-8-0 (W-L) / 3-5-0 (Home) / 5-3-0 (Away) / 7-7-0 (Grass) / 1-1-0 (Turf) / 47.3 (Total)
The Chargers went a stellar 12-4 last season to tie Kansas City in victories although they lost the division title on tie-breakers. Los Angeles also went a solid 9-7 ATS while covering the chalk a stupendous seven times on the road while positing a dead-even 8-8 Over/Under mark against their O/U totals and playing under the total five times at home.
Offense
- Total Yards: 372.6 / Rank 11
- Passing Yards: 255.6 / Rank 10
- Rushing Yards: 117.1 /Rank 15
- Points Scored: 26.8 / Rank 6
- Field Goal %: 82.8 / Rank 20
The Chargers finished the 2018 campaign ranked an encouraging 11th in total offense, 10th in passing, 15th in rushing and a stellar sixth in scoring (26.8 ppg). To address their needs on the offensive side of the ball, the Bolts added veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor to backup Rivers, though that was their main addition on the offensive side of the ball.
Defense
- Total Yards: 333.7 / Rank 9
- Passing Yards: 227.9 / Rank 9
- Rushing Yards: 105.8 /Rank 9
- Points Allowed: 20.6 / Rank 8
- Field Goal %: 76.7 / Rank 5
Defensively, the Bolts finished the 2018 season ranked ninth overall and an identical ninth against both, the pass and run while finishing eighth in points allowed (20.6 ppg). Despite their success a year on on defense, Los Angeles added to their defense by signing veteran former Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis while re-signing safety Adrian Phillips, nose tackle Brandon Mebane and linebacker Denzel Perryman while also drafting Notre Dame defensive tackle Jerry Tillery in the first round and Delaware safety Nasir Adderley in the second round.
Team Leaders
- Touchdowns: Melvin Gordon III (14)
- Rushing: Melvin Gordon III (885)
- Passing: Phillip Rivers (4308)
- Receiving: Keenan Allen (1196)
- Sacks: Melvin Ingram III (7.0)
- Interceptions: Derwin James (3)
Despite playing in just 12 games a year ago, oft-injured running back Melvin Gordon led the team in touchdowns scored and rushing yards. Rivers had a solid season by completing a blistering 68.3 percent of his passes for 4,308 yards while tossing 32 TD passes and a manageable 12 interceptions. Veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen racked up 1,196 receiving yards while defensive end Melvin Ingram led the team with a modest seven sacks and safety Derwin James led the team in interceptions.
Outlook
The Chargers have a couple of difficult division matchups against Kansas City and tough no-division matchups against Houston, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Jacksonville and Minnesota. Still, in an overall sense, I like the Bolts to easily reach the 10-win mark at the very least, which means they could very well win the AFC West over a Chiefs team that suffered a couple of glaring losses on the offensive side of the ball. Whether you believe in the Bolts or not, this coming season, they could very well end their status as perennial bridesmaids.
