The NFL season has already progressed into Week 4 with each Sunday seemingly flying by. The Los Angeles Chargers are in disarray after a winless start and are far from what they were expected to be heading into the campaign. Trying to right the ship right now will prove quite difficult though; they’re set to take on the reigning champion Seattle Seahawks in front of the 12th man during the afternoon window.
Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. ET in Seattle. Here’s a preview, prediction and pick for Chargers vs. Seahawks in NFL Week 4.
Chargers vs. Seahawks prediction, preview
The Chargers have won double-digit games in each of the last two seasons under Jim Harbaugh, but something is clearly off with this team at the moment amidst an 0-3 start. They dropped outings to the Cardinals, Raiders and Bills, three matchups that got progressively more difficult but still represent some significant shortcomings. The offense hasn’t gelled under new coordinator Mike McDaniel, ranking 31st in EPA/play with a paltry 14.7 PPG, third fewest. Nobody looks great here. Justin Herbert has just 627 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions. Omarion Hampton has run for 193 yards and two scores but hasn’t been particularly efficient. Ladd McConkey leads the team with 12 catches for 183 yards and a tuddy, but hasn’t been as involved as expected – he’s questionable to play with a foot injury. The supporting cast hasn’t helped much, and two tight ends are injured, too. On the other side of the ball, Los Angeles has provided an equally mixed bag of results. The unit ranks fifth in defensive EPA/play but is giving up 25.3 PPG, which ranks 20th. The run defense is 11th in EPA/rush allowed, but the secondary appears weaker and safety Derwin James is questionable. Three interceptions, seven sacks and four forced fumbles look solid on paper, but the splash plays haven’t added up to wins.
The Seahawks are going to be tough competition. The reigning champs should probably still be unbeaten, but they’re just 2-1 after beating the Patriots and Cardinals prior to an upset loss at the hands of the Commanders. Overall, though, this team looks sharp. The defense is going to be unbelievable once again, ranking third in defensive EPA/play and top-10 against both the run and pass while holding opponents to 16.7 PPG, good for third fewest. Seven sacks and four picks are nice to see, as are 19 TFLs – good luck getting the offense going against this group. The offense hasn’t been stellar, but the outlook is on the upturn there as well. Sam Darnold returned from injury last week and threw four touchdown passes, and of course, Jaxon Smith-Njigba might be the best wideout in football with 27 receptions for 405 yards and a league-high six touchdowns. He’s practically all the team needs when it comes to weapons, but Cooper Kupp and AJ Barner aren’t bad complementary talents. The Seahawks are fifth in EPA/dropback and ninth in EPA/play, but the run game may continue to struggle for the moment. First-round rookie Jadarian Price landed on IR on Saturday and will miss at least four games, leaving Emanuel Wilson and George Holani to hold down the backfield until Zach Charbonnet returns. They’re averaging 25.0 PPG for the moment, though, so they may be just fine if they keep turning to the pass.
Chargers vs. Seahawks pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Seahawks as a -7 favorite at home with -360 odds to win on the Moneyline. The Chargers are a +285 road underdog to win outright with the game total set at 42.5 combined points.
If there’s ever a week for Los Angeles to rebound, this isn’t it. The matchup against the Seattle defense is simply too much for this uncoordinated offense to finally click, between the pass rush generating the second-fastest time to pressure in the league and the front seven totally shutting down opposing run games. There are plenty of problems with this Chargers attack, but it just feels unlikely that Justin Herbert is able to finally get into a rhythm given what he’s going to face, especially if McConkey doesn’t play. Sure, the Seahawks weren’t invulnerable last week, but a repeat of that upset would be shocking.
It’s a bit of a cop-out, but I like the under on an alt team total of 17.5 points for the Chargers today. Their starting quarterback will be uncomfortable and their run game is yet to look anything better than perfectly average, so we’re playing the matchup until proven otherwise.
