Welcome home Los Angeles Chargers! The Chargers franchise began in Los Angeles in 1960 and moved to San Diego immediately after the end of the season. After 56 seasons in San Diego, the Chargers moved back to the City of Angels this season. For the next three years, the Chargers will be calling quaint StubHub Center home until the new stadium that will host both the Chargers and Rams is built. They will welcome their first team when they face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night.
This matchup in Week 1 of the preseason will take place on Sunday, August 13, 2017,at 8 p.m. ET at StubHub Center in Carson, California. The game will be broadcast live on NFL Network.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Seattle Seahawks +1.5
Los Angeles Chargers -1.5
Over/Under 37.5
Odds Analysis
Pete Carroll has been pretty good in the preseason since becoming the Seahawks head coach in 2010. He is 18-10 over the last seven years and hasn’t had a losing preseason since his first season in Seattle. The Seahawks are 5-2 in Preseason Week 1 under Carroll.
The Chargers are breaking in a new head coach after four years of diminishing results from Mike McCoy. Anthony Lynn is the new man in charge and Los Angeles is hoping that he can rejuvenate the team. He was part of the reason behind the success of Buffalo’s run game the last two seasons and that should bode well for Melvin Gordon.
Player to Watch
If Keenan Allen can stay healthy, he should have a huge year. Allen has been injury prone during his four seasons in San Diego, only playing the full 16 games in his rookie season.
The strange thing with Allen is that it isn’t one part of the body that keeps getting injured. He has suffered a PCL sprain, a broken collarbone, a kidney injury, and an ACL tear in the last five years. There is nothing connecting any of those injuries other than bad luck.
It's a shame because Allen has been unable to take the next step after a phenomenal debut season back in 2013. This offseason he has missed multiple days of practice, but it does seem like he will play against Seattle. That’s good news because Allen does need some game action.
Los Angeles drafted Mike Williams with the No. 7 pick in the draft with the hope of pairing him with Allen, but now his season is in question. He is having back issues and has been limited in practice recently. That makes Allen’s health even more important.
Matchup to Watch
Seattle might have more depth at running back than any other team in the NFL. The Seahawks signed Eddie Lacy in the offseason and he joins a backfield that saw three different players share the workload in 2016.
Thomas Rawls, Alex Collins, and CJ Procise split the work and all three are back again. All three of these running backs are still young and that should lead to some hard running in the preseason.
It’s unclear how Carroll will divide the workload. Lacy looks set to be the starter after keeping his weight under control this offseason, but after that it’s anyone’s guess. With their places on the depth chart, or maybe even their jobs, on the line, every player in this unit knows they can’t take plays off.
Free ATS Pick
Los Angeles is switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3 and the defense is adjusting. Joey Bosa and Mevlin Ingram are now starring as outside linebackers and their responsibilities will change. It will be worth keeping an eye on how they adjust.
The Chargers are the play here. Even though it’s the preseason, LA wants to start off on the right foot and a win would help. Seattle is full of veterans outside of the running back position and lots of starters will probably sit or play very little.
Week 1 NFL Preseason Odds: Chargers 23, Seahawks 16
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