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The Los Angeles Chargers will kick off their regular season on Sunday when they play host to the Indianapolis Colts in a game that initially looked like a potential playoff preview, but Andrew Luck's retirement obviously changed things.
The Chargers won 12 games last year, earning a Wild Card berth in the AFC and making it to the Divisional Round before losing to the New England Patriots.
Now, Los Angeles is hoping to get over the hump and make it to its first Super Bowl since the 1994-95 campaign, and the Chargers are favored to get off to a 1-0 start against the Colts.
So, here are four reasons LA will beat Indianapolis in Week 1.
4. Continuity
With Luck suddenly announcing his decision to step away from the game, the Colts are left scrambling with Jacoby Brissett as the starting quarterback.
That's not the worst thing in the world, as Brissett is talented and has some experience, but due to the abrupt change two weeks before the start of the regular season, Indy might face some problems with continuity early on.
The Chargers certainly won't have that, as Philip Rivers has been under center for a decade-and-a-half, and the Bolts are coming back with largely the same team they had a year ago.
Of course, Melvin Gordon probably won't be there, but Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson are both perfectly capable of carrying the load on the ground.
Expect Los Angeles to look quite a bit more comfortable than Indianapolis in this contest.
3. More Proven Receiver Talent
The Colts did add Devin Funchess to play alongside of T.Y. Hilton this offseason, which is big, but he is still relatively unproven as a wide receiver, as he really only had one very good season in four years with the Carolina Panthers.
Meanwhile, the Chargers have a dynamic duo in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, not to mention tight end Hunter Henry who is coming back from a torn ACL. I understand the Colts have a couple of really good tight ends in their own right in Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle, but Doyle was riddled with injuries in 2018.
The combination of Rivers and Allen, Williams and Henry could be deadly this season, and for a Colts team that has been unable to find a No. 2 receiver behind Hilton for years, it could be a big-time difference-maker in this game, especially with Luck gone.
2. The Pass Rush
With Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram on the edge, the Chargers have one of the scarier pass rushes in the NFL, and now, they are throwing in rookie defensive lineman Jerry Tillery in there for good measure.
Now, the Colts do have one of the best offensive lines in the league, but with such an inexperienced quarterback under center, Los Angeles will take advantage of any miscues that Brissett makes.
Let's also keep in mind that Brissett likes to scramble, and the Chargers' front seven is incredibly athletic, so they can potentially bottle him up on the run, as well.
1. Quarterback Play
Brissett may have potential, but we already know what Rivers can do.
The 37-year-old was one of the top candidates for the MVP award last year, and now, entering his 16th year in the league, Rivers has basically seen it all. In a close game, especially in LA, Rivers is much more trustworthy than a young signal-caller like Brissett.
While the Colts will probably just ask Brissett to manage the game, the Chargers can pin their hopes on Rivers' right arm and ride it to victory.
It's going to be very difficult for Brissett to outplay Rivers on the road, which means Indianapolis is going to have to severely outplay Los Angeles in a couple of other aspects in order to have a shot.
