Chargers writer gives 3 reasons why the Eagles will beat Los Angeles

For the second week in a row, the Philadelphia Eagles are set to play a football team that’s yet to win a game during the 2017 NFL season.

Some believe the Chargers aren’t very good and this should be a win for the Eagles. Others seem to think this tilt could be a trap game for the Birds.

If you’re feeling worried about this game, today’s post might have you feeling a little more confident about the Eagles’ chances.

Bleeding Green Nation already took some time to chat with Bolts From The Blue on Thursday in order to preview this Week 4 matchup.

Today, we're back with three reasons why each team might lose. This format forces us to consider each own team's weaknesses, rather than just think of why each team is awesome.

So here are three reasons why the Chargers could lose, as written by BFTB’s Richard Wade. Stay tuned to Bolts From The Blue to see why I think the Eagles could lose.

Why the Chargers will lose

Last week, I predicted that the Chargers would lose to the Chiefs and that the score would not be representative of just how badly they were beaten. They were thrashed and well on their way to losing by only a single score when Kareem Hunt ripped off a long touchdown run to make the score closer to how the game had played out, so I was half right.

Offense

It was expected by most people familiar with the Chargers that their offensive line would struggle to protect Philip Rivers and that the passing offense would suffer for it. Through three weeks, the offensive line has done a stellar job of keeping Rivers upright. They are sixth in adjusted sack rate allowed and yet the passing offense is still mediocre. Why is that?

Sadly, the primary reason the passing offense has been ineffective is Rivers. He is the best quarterback in franchise history (and the Chargers are a franchise that has had some exceptional quarterbacks including Hall of Famer Dan Fouts). For years he was the only one keeping the offense moving at all. But now, Rivers is a playing like a shell of his former self. His footwork is a mess. His decision making is terrible. He seems to make up his mind pre-snap and lock in on a receiver whether or not he is covered. He makes mistakes that would get a younger quarterback benched.

If he continues his current level of play against Philadelphia, there will be numerous turnovers.

Defense

The defensive line featuring last year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Joey Bosa and September’s AFC Defensive Player of the Month Melvin Ingram has been excellent. They have the second-highest adjusted sack rate in the NFL. And yet they are a middle of the pack defense. There are numerous reasons for that but the one we will focus on is that they are absolutely terrible when it comes to covering tight ends.

They have allowed the second-highest DVOA on passes to tight ends in the league. Only the Ravens have been worse. There are a couple reasons for this. The Chargers have one of the worst safety duos in the NFL. They also have some of the worst cover linebackers in the league. Strong safety Jahleel Addae and outside linebacker Kyle Emanuel, in particular, provide some of the worst coverage you have ever seen.

Add to that the fact that Zach Ertz is one of the best tight ends in the business and you have a recipe for disaster this week.

X-Factor

StubHub Center. The Chargers’ home stadium is a bit of a joke at this point. It holds only 27,000 fans. Nearly half of those fans are likely to be Eagles supporters. The Chargers are 0-2 in their new home. The whole place just has a bad feeling about it. That probably doesn’t or at least shouldn’t matter, but I don’t like it.