Sportsbetting fans have gone over 2 decades without a Chargers Super Bowl appearance. The last time they were presented with the opportunity to take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy they faced the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX. This was back in 1994 when the Niners’ dynasty was coming to an end. Joe Montana might not have been on the team but Steve Young proved exactly who he was by leading San Fran 49-26 over the Chargers.
In November voters in San Diego will have to decide whether or not to raise taxes for a new stadium and facility for the local Chargers. The taxes will only affect local hotels, but with the Chargers going 4-12 last season San Diegans must be questioning themselves on whether or not this is a sound investment. While last season might not be an indicator, there are still plenty of reasons for San Diegans to rally behind their team whether they like to go to the games or put their sportsbetting luck on them online.
The Chargers disastrous 2015 season can be attributed to several factors. We’ll give San Diego the benefit of the doubt and say that injuries were the biggest contributing factor. Last season the bolts had to weather the storm without the likes of Antonio Gates – who couldn’t play 4 games due to a suspension not an injury, and Keenan Allen was placed on injured reserve due to a lacerated kidney. Stevie Johnson, one of the Chargers receivers, also missed out on six games. Pile on top of that Melvin Gordon’s poor play, which has all of NFL betting shouting ‘BUST’, and you can begin to see why the Chargers struggled offensively.
Even without his key receiver Rivers was able to lead the chargers to the NFL’s 4th best passing offense. This sportsbetting season Allen, Rivers #1 receiver, and Johnson will be returning healthier than ever. On top of that San Diego has acquired free agent Travis Benjamin to help give Rivers another option down the field. Benjamin was able to post 68 receptions in Cleveland with an offense that is lackluster at best, and a team that has more holes at the quarterback position than Swiss cheese. With that in mind, NFL betting can be assured that his performance will only increase now that he is joining one of the league’s top passing offenses.
Last season the Charger’s offensive line was as stable as a seesaw. This year San Diego is looking to combat that issue by drafting Max Tuerk and signing Matt Slauson the former bear. Tuerk missed most of his last year at USC with a torn ACL and it is interesting to see a team who had so many issues with injuries last year elect this draft pick. However, the Chargers did re-sign Joe Barksdale who was the only starter from a year ago who escaped all 16 games unscathed.
On defense the Chargers had even more issues as they ranked in the bottom half of the league for every statistic except passing defense, for which they ranked 14th. Unfortunately the way the franchise handled Eric Weddle’s departure spoke volumes about this club’s approach to players. The Chargers have brought on some free agents to help fill their gaping needs on defense: Brandon Mebane, Dwight Lowery, and Casey Hayward.
It’ll be hard for the Chargers to do worse than they did last year, mostly because their performance last season was pitiful. The sportsbooks aren’t showing any love to San Diego and have their odds listed as +685. The Broncos will be heading into next season Manning-less and unless the Chiefs beat them to it, San Diego will be in contention for winning this division. With several key factors returning from injuries you can expect the Chargers to be a more electrifying team next season.
