The Los Angeles Chargers 2022 season didn't necessarily always go as expected, but at the end of the day, they still managed to find their way into the playoffs. The Chargers were expected to compete for the top seed in the AFC West, but got off to a fairly slow start. They managed to finally find their footing, though, and they will enter the 2023 NFL Playoffs as the five seed in the AFC.
It wasn't smooth sailing for the Chargers this season, despite their explosive offseason of work. Their defense still had some struggles despite their new star additions, and the offense had some ugly stretches as they dealt with injuries to key players throughout the season. But Los Angeles is entering the playoffs as healthy as they have been all season long, and that bodes well for their postseason hopes.
Being the five seed means that Los Angeles won't have it as easy as other teams, and they will have to go through some other superpower teams in the AFC to reach their ultimate goal. But the Chargers have proven that they can go toe-to-toe with whoever their opponent is, and that could end up leading them all the way to a Super Bowl victory.
Why the Chargers will win the 2023 Super Bowl
The Chargers had a bit of a strange conclusion to the 2022 regular season, as they opted to play their starters for the majority of their season finale against the Denver Broncos, despite already being locked into the five seed. They ended up losing to the Broncos, who were one of the worst teams in the league this season, so that sends them into the playoffs in a bit of a strange state.
The good news for Los Angeles is that they don't bump into the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, or Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. The Chargers will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars to kick off their playoff action, which isn't the worst matchup in the world for them.
It's worth noting that Jacksonville destroyed Los Angeles in their regular season matchup this year, but these two teams are in much different spots than they were back in Week 3 when they squared off. Despite being the lower seed, the Chargers should be favored to win this game, and it would be a bit of a surprise to see them ultimately come up short in this one.
Going through the superpower teams in the Chiefs, Bills, and Bengals will likely be tough for the Chargers if they do win, and unless something wild happens, they will likely end up having to face two of these three teams to just reach the Super Bowl. That may seem daunting, but the Chargers always find a way to make games with these teams competitive.
Los Angeles' strength is always going to be their offense, with star quarterback Justin Herbert leading the way. No matter what happens, Herbert should be able to keep the Chargers competitive throughout the postseason. He also has a solid complement of playmakers around him, with Austin Ekeler being a dangerous threat both on the ground and in the air, and Keenan Allen remaining one of the top wide receivers in the game.
On defense, the Chargers are finally as healthy as they have been all season long. They just got star pass rusher Joey Bosa back after he played just five games in the regular season, and that should make a world of a difference to close out the season. There are stars all over the defense still, with Khalil Mack and Derwin James leading the way alongside him.
It may not seem inherently likely that the Chargers make a deep run this postseason, but remember, we saw the Bengals emerge from out of nowhere to nearly win the Super Bowl last season. Entering the playoffs this season, it feels like Los Angeles is in a somewhat similar spot.
Offensively, they have all the talent in the world, and while losing Mike Williams hurts, Joshua Palmer and DeAndre Carter have proven to be reliable secondary options. And while the defense has been inconsistent at best, they have the talent to become a very strong unit. The potential has always been there, but now it's time to put all the pieces together.
If the Chargers can do that, they will be a dangerous team to keep an eye on in the AFC this postseason. They always find a way to show up in big games, and if they can turn some of those one-score losses into wins, they will be right where they need to be. Los Angeles isn't the scariest team in the playoffs, but if you ignore them, chances are they will end your season, and that could end up leading them to a Super Bowl victory.
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