*As the Washington Redskins get closer to the start of another season, Redskins.com will preview all 16 of the team's regular season games. Today is the Week 14 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers.
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*In their second trip to Hollywood of the season, the Redskins will visit the recently moved Los Angeles Chargers for a pivotal late-season matchup. *
Los Angeles' Key Additions: hired head coach Anthony Lynn (Bills), OT Russell Okung (Broncos), signed S Tre Boston (Panthers), drafted WR Mike Williams (Clemson), drafted OG Forrest Lamp (Western Kentucky).
Los Angeles' Key Subtractions: OT King Dunlap (unsigned), CB Brandon Flowers (unsigned), G DJ Fluker (Giants), LB Manti Te'o (Saints), RB Danny Woodhead (Ravens).
For their third and final cross-country trip of the season, the Redskins will travel to what will be the smallest NFL stadium – the StubHub Center, which has a capacity of 27,000 and will house the Los Angeles Chargers this season.
The Redskins final six games – two games against the Giants, at Dallas, vs. Arizona, vs. Denver and this stop in L.A. – are far from a walk in the park. Preseason projections in the NFL can be proven useless less than a month into the season, but the Chargers are predicted to be the least competitive of the teams Washington will see in December. For a Washington team that has playoff aspirations, the Week 14 matchup with the Bolts will likely be a game the Redskins are expected to win.
It also is a game that will feature two of last season's most prolific passers. Kirk Cousins ranked third in passing yards while San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers ranked fifth. Rivers ranked third in the NFL with 33 touchdown passes while also leading the league in interceptions (21).
Rivers has plenty of pass catching options, too. San Diego quietly has built one of the league's best receiving cores as Tyrell Williams and Dontrell Inman both burst onto the scene last year with solid seasons. They will complement Keenan Allen, who seemed on his way to becoming an elite talent before injuries cut each of his last two seasons short. Also joining the group is Clemson product Mike Williams – the second wide receiver taken in this year's NFL Draft.
The ageless Antonio Gates is back for his 15th season at tight end while the emerging Hunter Henry is coming off a rookie season in which he caught eight touchdowns.
The Chargers' 2016 season went through significant up and downs as the team started 1-4 before running their record back to 5-6 following a Week 12 victory over Houston.
However, the Chargers dropped their final five games consecutively – four of which came by one score or less – to finish 5-11 and in the basement of the AFC West. Despite being outscored by just 13 points for the entirety of the season, head coach Mike McCoy was relieved of his duties.
In came Anthony Lynn, who served as head coach for the final game of the 2016 season in Buffalo but was not hired as head coach of the Bills.
Lynn will look to lead the Chargers back to the playoffs for the first time since 2013, but will have to do it in arguably the best division in football. The AFC West combined for 38 wins last season – the second-most in the NFL to the NFC East (39).
2017 Season Previews:
