NFL Week 10 preview podcast: Which Chargers team will the Lions see?

The Los Angeles Chargers have been one of the most confounding teams in football for decades, and 2023 seems like yet another season of mystery. They’ve beaten up the Vikings, Raiders, Jets, and Bears, but they haven’t been able to hang with the Dolphins, Titans, Cowboys, and Chiefs. They’re clearly somewhere in the middle between the elite and horrible. No wonder they’re 4-4 on the year.

To try and give us some clarity on the Chargers and what the Detroit Lions can expect on Sunday, we sat down with Kyle DeDiminicantanio of Bolts from the Blue to tackle everything from Justin Herbert to the Chargers’ pass rush to whether Los Angeles can truly defend the run.

Here’s a rundown of topics we discussed on this week’s episode of our First Byte preview podcast:

• (3:15) How has Herbert looked under the new offense under Kellen Moore?
• (5:40) How has the finger injury impacted Herbert?
• (8:00) Keenan Allen: How is he still doing it?
• (9:30) Why is rookie WR Quentin Johnston struggling early? Any other WRs to worry about?
• (13:00) Will RT Trey Pipkins be able to contain Aidan Hutchison?
• (16:00) What’s wrong with LA’s run game?
• (22:00) Is the Chargers’ run defense good or bad? Stats tell a mixed story.
• (25:00) How do the Chargers get the most out of Khalil Mack, and Joey Bosa?
• (30:30) What went wrong with J.C. Jackson?
• (34:45) How have the Chargers secondary acclimated without Jackson?
• (37:00) PREDICTIONS!

It’s also worth noting that DeDiminicantanio was a phenomenal guest between the segments. He offered to take an egg to the face and shave his facial hair into a mustache if we raised enough money on Thursday night for our Movember charity drive. And when our fans stepped up to the occasion, he delivered:

Thanks, Kyle for your time, info, and being a great sport about everything!