Chargers Are Wildly Overrated by Latest Super Bowl Odds Following 2020 NFL Draft

The 2020 offseason saw a total franchise reset for the Los Angeles Chargers. Despite this, the oddsmakers aren't as low on the Chargers as one might expect.

Chargers Super Bowl Odds 2021

From a personnel perspective, the Chargers will look completely different next season. Long-time quarterback Philip Rivers left for the Indianapolis Colts, replaced in the draft by Justin Herbert. Running back Melvin Gordon went to the Denver Broncos. Defensive tackle Linval Joseph and veteran guard Bryan Bulaga were also brought in.

Despite this major rebuild and a team that went 5-11 with the No. 21 overall to FootballOutsiders' overall DVOA metric last year, the Chargers still have the 17th-best odds at FanDuel Sportsbook to win the Super Bowl next year, at +3200. That's quite surprising, as they are just behind last year's AFC runner-up Tennessee Titans at +3000 and ahead of the Cleveland Browns at +3400.

While whatever fans the Chargers have certainly can be optimistic for their long-term future, expecting them to be a fringe playoff contender in one of the toughest divisions in football is asking a bit much. The Kansas City Chiefs aren't going anywhere, and while the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders are also not in great shape, they both outclassed the Chargers last year and seemingly have more stability.

It's not like the AFC Wild Card race is any easier, either. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, and Houston Texans should all be in the running. Of course, they also let Philip Rivers walk to the Colts, making them a new rival as well.

At the end of the day, the Chargers are long shots for playoff contention with a rookie quarterback and some holes on defense. While that shouldn't discount them, they also shouldn't have better odds than many of their competitors.

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Tristan Jung is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Tristan Jung also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username tristan1117. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.