Bolts From The Blue

Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/ Your source for all Chargers and NFL news from around the web. The Chargers’ defensive front seven has to get lighter against the salary cap heading into 2024, so how many of this current group will be on the books next year? Good morning, Bolts From the Blue. Similarly to the article in which I looked at how the defensive back group could look heading into next season, I am going to be looking at the other side of the defense; the front seven. The defense as a whole is currently the third most expensive in the league but in return they are...

Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports Now that the Chargers are all but eliminated from playoff contention we can start to look towards the 2024 Draft starting with some big names taking center stage on NCAA conference championship weekend. Good morning, Bolts From the Blue. As we enter into December one thing is clear; this team is due for a rebuild. The Chargers are going to miss the 2023 playoffs in all probability and, whilst it isn’t written in stone just yet, it is time to think further ahead to 2024 and beyond. So to aid with this process of finding future Chargers,...

Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports Justin Fields wasn’t on the field the last time these two teams met in Week 7 with the Vikings running out winners. Can he be the difference this time around? Hello Bolts From the Blue, Tonight we have a Monday Night Football game almost as far from the West Coast as can be when the Minnesota Vikings host their NFC North rivals, Chicago Bears, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The home team won the reverse matchup back in Week 7 when they beat their old foes 19-13 back when both sets of teams had some very different players in key...

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports The Los Angeles Chargers may be last place in the AFC West but they have opened as favorites over the New England Patriots who are only team in the conference with a record worse than them. Good Morning, Bolts From the Blue After a third straight loss the Los Angeles Chargers are reeling with their season all but mathematically over sitting at 4-7, the joint second worst record in the AFC. Their Week 12 loss to the Baltimore Ravens may have shown promise but that is not what Brandon Staley needs right now, he needed a statement win to save...

Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/ The Chargers broke through to a top-ten pick projection, but with New England on deck, that’s hopefully a one-week trend Good morning, Bolts From the Blue. We had another really, really rough one last night. Going into this season, I assumed the realistic floor for this team was at least a record of 9-8. There’s just simply too much talent on either side of the ball to not end the season with a winning record, even if it wasn’t enough to slip you into the playoffs. The upside - given all that talent - was certainly there! The Chargers...

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports The Los Angeles Chargers put together one of the best defensive performances they’ve had all year in the first half of their Sunday Night performance against the Baltimore Ravens, giving us a clue on what could have been this season. In a poorly officiated, poorly coached game, the Los Angeles Chargers lost a 20-10 affair against the Baltimore Ravens that was closer than the final score indicated. For a moment, it felt like it could have been so much more. In the final moments, a three-point lead expanded to ten points after a Zay...

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Chargers drop their third straight game, and possibly their season, in a loss to the Ravens Is it appropriate to demand a general manager to take a postgame presser after a regular season loss? A significant portion of the Chargers fan base begged for Zay Flowers to be Tom Telesco’s selection at pick 21 in the 2023 NFL Draft. Instead, Telesco went with Quentin Johnston, a player with electric after-the-catch ability but questionable hands and route running. Fans were perplexed, as Johnston didn’t really bring a unique talent or...

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports Can the Chargers survive the Ravens in a must-win game? HAPPY GAME DAY, BOLT FAM! The Chargers are hosting the 8-3 Baltimore Ravens who are arguably playing the most balanced brand of football since Lamar Jackson took over at quarterback. They can legitimately win games with their three-headed monster of a rush attack, behind the arm of Jackson and diverse blend of receiving talents, or with their stifling run defense. Should all three of these units work in concert with another, watch out... you’re in for a long day. We’ll start...

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports The Chargers take on the Ravens under the primetime lights Kickoff is almost upon us, Chargers fans! We have an entire Sunday slate of games to enjoy (feel free to take a look at our recommended picks here) before the Chargers take on the Ravens on Sunday Night Football. Justin Herbert has been putting the team on his back as of late, but the defense and supporting cast hasn’t done their part in getting these wins across the finish line. The game tonight will be the biggest test the Chargers have had since their loss to the Chiefs....

Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK Shouldn’t Justin Herbert throwing for two touchdowns be easy money? Oh boy... the Chargers are back for some primetime football, and their opponent is a real doozy. The Ravens are flying to Los Angeles as one of the most punishing offenses and defenses in the league, and in the third phase of the game they have one of the greatest kickers to play the game. Where are the weaknesses?! In an effort to stay positive, all bets this week are “overs” for our Bolts, and I do think these all hit. We’re gonna need all the positive energy we...

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports Fan confidence is still hovering at 4%, and it appears the fanbase is prepared to see Austin Ekeler walk Good afternoon Bolts From the Blue! We have another round of poll results prepared for you! This week, our staple question had the same results as last week. 4% of the fanbase polled is confident the Chargers are headed in the right direction. Some BFTB members joked that the Spanos family must have found our site and is contributed to the voting... thanks for that much needed chuckle! The second question we asked was...

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports The Chargers simply can’t afford to fall to 4-7 if there are any hopes for this season. One of their toughest opponents of the season stands in their way. Matt “Money” Smith offered an excellent soundbite describing the importance of this primetime Chargers game against the Ravens. For the Chargers, you know, this goes back to what we said last year right, which is when you lose one like they did against the Raiders to drop to 6-6, well now you gotta find one to win, you gotta overcome what looked to be a game that you weren’t...

Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK With their season on the line and backs against the wall, the Chargers must overcome one of the toughest AFC opponents in primetime The Chargers are back under the primetime lights in their matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore is a team with a true identity, thriving off physical trench play on both sides of the football and never neglecting the third phase of the game, boasting one of the best kickers in league history. Kyle Barber from Baltimore Beatdown was kind enough to join us to answer some pressing...

Photo by Stacy Revere/ Daniel Popper investigates how much of the blame Tom Telesco should carry for this underperforming roster Good Morning, Bolts From the Blue. Daniel Popper has provided another excellent article for Chargers fans to digest. There is definitely blood in the water at the Costa Mesa facility, and Popper is certainly circling and feasting on it. It’s hard to call his coverage overly critical, as we’ve neared fan consensus of wanting a total front office makeover for the Chargers. The silver lining to this under-producing season is the glimmer of...

Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK The BFTB Staff talk through their picks for Sunday’s games headlined by Jaguars vs. Texans, Browns vs. Broncos and Bills vs. Eagles. Good Morning, Bolts From the Blue! Week 12 got started early with an exciting Thanksgiving triple header and an extra Black Friday treat but Sunday’s games are equally as enticing with three games that stand out to me before our Chargers take on the Baltimore Ravens on prime time. The Bolts are 4-6 and if they lose this game at SoFi Stadium then I think the season is all but...