Preseason: Los Angeles Chargers vs Los Angeles Rams 8/13/22 NFL Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams clash Saturday night in NFL week 1 preseason action at SoFi Stadium. The Los Angeles Rams have lost 6 of their last 8 preseason games. The Los Angeles Chargers have lost 7 of their last 11 preseason games.

The Los Angeles Rams enter the year with a target on their back after going all in and winning the Super Bowl. It will be interesting to see how much Matthew Stafford plays after battling an elbow issue and not being able to put in much work throughout the offseason. Assuming the Rams are cautious with their QB, you’re going to see a lot of John Wolford, Bryce Perkins and Luis Perez. The Rams have an open spot at right guard, and it will be settled between Logan Bruss, Coleman Shelton and Tremayne Anchrum Jr. It’s also going to be intriguing to see how the offense changes under offensive coordinator Liam Coen. Defensively, the Rams need to find quarterback depth as there’s not a lot of trust behind Troy Hill and Jalen Ramsey at the moment. We’ll also get to see Bobby Wagner for the first time outside of a Seattle Seahawks uniform. 

The Los Angeles Chargers have expectations entering this season and there’s going to be some pressure on this group from the start. Justin Herbert has proven himself as a star, so don’t expect him to play much. Instead, you’re going to see a lot of Chase Daniel and Easton Stick at the quarterback position. The Chargers have a position battle at right tackle between Trey Pipkins and Storm Norton. Running back Austin Ekeler also needs to find a reliable backup, and it appears rookie Isaiah Spiller is in the driver’s seat for such a position. Defensively, it’s going to be worth seeing if the Chargers run defense is improved. Last year, the Chargers were 30th against the run, and they made a lot of moves to correct the area. The Chargers have Super Bowl potential if the defense can get on the same page as the offense. 

The Rams are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games on fieldturf. The Chargers are 20-41-1 ATS in their last 62 home games and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 Saturday games. The over is 4-0 in Rams last 4 Saturday games. The over is 6-0 in Chargers last 6 games overall. The over is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.

I doubt we’re going to see Stafford in this game, which means you’re going to get a lot of two inexperienced QBs in John Wolford and Bryce Perkins. The Chargers have a lot of backups with potential, and they should be eager to put on a show for potential playing time when it counts. Also, while Chase Daniel hasn’t had a lot of success in his career, he’s played in 70 games, and I’d like to think he can have success against backup defenders. Easton Stick also had a hell of a career at North Dakota State, and he can make plays. I’ll lay the field goal with the Chargers in a battle of LA.