The Los Angeles Chargers vs. Washington Football Team will kickoff during the early slate of games in Week 1. Here’s what you can expect, what TV channel and live streams you can watch it on, and the NFL odds and predictions for Sunday’s game.
Los Angeles Chargers vs. Washington Football Team | Week 1 preview and prediction
QB Justin Herbert begins his first season as the Chargers’ full-time starter. On the other sideline, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick begins Year 17, suiting up for his ninth team. Both have the potential to create fireworks in their respective offenses. However, both rookie head coach Brandon Staley in Los Angeles and Ron Rivera in Washington are facing injury hurdles on offense.
This week, RB Austin Ekeler, who dealt with a nagging hamstring injury in 2020, hit the injury report with another hamstring injury this week. After missing practices on Wednesday and Thursday, he was on the practice field on Friday. He’s officially been given a questionable tag for Sunday’s game vs. Washington.
If Ekeler can’t go, he’ll be largely missed going up against Washington’s defense, which ranked second against the pass in 2020. A bigger workload will fall not only on backup RB Justin Jackson but also on Herbert and wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
Fitzpatrick has the luxury of a healthy RB Antonio Gibson, who could be the difference in Sunday’s game. While WR Terry McLaurin will be out wide, Curtis Samuel was put on IR with a groin injury this week.
Gibson, along with the Washington defense, will be the primary components of a Football Team win vs. the Chargers. While we know Fitzpatrick can light up any box score, he’ll need to be smart at home and take care of the football.
With it being home and Ekeler questionable, the odds for Chargers vs. Washington have Washington as a small favorite. Our Washington vs. Chargers prediction sides with the books and gives Washington the edge in Week 1.
Prediction: Washington 21, Chargers 17
How to watch Chargers vs. Washington
- Location: FedExField, Landover, MD
- Start time: 1 PM ET
- TV channel: CBS
- Live stream:
- Hulu Live TV
- fuboTV
- YouTube TV
- Paramount Plus
Odds for Chargers vs. Washington
All odds provided via DraftKings Sportsbook
[bet-promo id=”149453″]- Spread: Washington -1.5
- Moneyline: Chargers +110, Washington -130
- Over/Under: 45.5
This is a battle between one of the best defenses in the league and one of the more explosive offenses. The Chargers could be a surprise playoff contender, and their journey starts against one of the most intimidating front sevens in the NFL. If the offensive line can contain Chase Young, this might be a close game. However, if Herbert needs to scramble every second play because of pressure, Washington could easily take this matchup.
As of right now, I lean to Washington covering this number at home. The defense is just too good, and Ryan Fitzpatrick should be able to do enough to put points on the board. If Washington wins, the under is going to hit. If the over comes in, that likely means the Chargers found a way to put points on the board and win the game.