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The LA Chargers were priced at -115 on both the OVER and UNDER to win 7.5 regular season games while the LA Rams were expected to be in the basement once again with maybe 6 wins if they are lucky. The UNDER for the Rams was priced at EVEN odds, the OVER 5.5 at -130.
The Chargers did draft a star receiver in Mike Williams and this will help complement a decent quarterback in Philip Rivers.
They also addressed holes in the offensive line with the signing of Russell Okung while using their second- and third-round picks on guards Forrest Lamp and Dan Feeney.
The Chargers play in a tough division but could fly under the radar enough to reach .500 or better.
The Rams, on the other hand, play in a weak division where even the favorites to win, Seattle Seahawks, are widely seen as taking a bit of a step back in 2017.
Drastic changes in the coaching staff could result in improvements. Most notably, Jeff Fisher was fired as head coach.
Jim Barnwell of ESPN.com assessed these staff changes:
Hiring McVay is a high-risk, high-reward move. Think about the Broncos hiring Josh McDaniels, then 32, and how that revitalized the organization before things fell apart. It's a welcome risk, given the franchise's mind-numbing mediocrity over the past half-decade. It's also worth noting that McVay (and not Kyle Shanahan) was the one who actually presided over Kirk Cousins' sudden leap from turnover-prone problem to franchise quarterback in Washington, which could come in handy, given the organization's investment in 2016 first overall pick Jared Goff.
The Rams also deserve credit for bringing in a veteran to work with McVay, hiring former Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Phillips leaves Denver having led the Broncos to the league's best DVOA each of the past two seasons. Phillips' defenses have finished in the top six in DVOA four out of his past five seasons in the league and in the top 10 seven out of the past nine tries. The Rams fell from seventh to 15th in DVOA last year during Gregg Williams' final year with the team. Phillips should be able to take a defense that often seemed to underachieve and quickly mold it into a dominant unit.
Andrew Whitworth, one of the best left tackles in football over the past few years, also comes to LA.
The offensive line is still in disarray however.
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
