Reviewing California’s NFL Teams in 2021
With the summer officially beginning, it won’t be long until our favorite NFL teams enter their training camps. Between the Super Bowl and the start of the following season, countless things will change around the league that could ultimately affect your favorite team for better or worse. Here in California, the 49ers, Chargers, and Rams are busy planning for the upcoming season. Let’s take a look at what we can expect from these teams in 2021.
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2020 season with aspirations of becoming Super Bowl champions again and silencing the doubters in the process. Of course, we know that isn’t exactly what happened. The team had a troublesome, injury ridden season that ultimately ended in a 6-10 record. However, while we don’t want to get too ahead of ourselves, there are definitely some positive factors to consider for the upcoming 49ers season.
Even before preseason has started, the San Francisco 49ers are the favorites in their first regular season matchup at -370 in the NFL betting odds over the Detroit Lions. Sports bettors are likely very excited about the 49ers’ draft selections, including new quarterback Trey Lance from North Dakota State. Lance led the university to the FCS championship during his time there and is a talented quarterback who is capable of making plays both on his feet and in the pocket.
The team made the best decisions they could with the rest of their draft picks, selecting promising players like the 6’5” guard from Notre Dame, Aaron Banks, and Trey Sermon the running back from Ohio State. Almost all of their selections made sense and should help build up their squad. According to NFL analysts, the 49ers have one of the easiest schedules ahead of them which should bode well for their record.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are still trying to find their identity in the league. Everyone knew changing cities would be tough, and competing against another team for the same market would have its own challenges. Now the Chargers are in the process of building up their team and discovering what they do best. Their past 7-9 season was lackluster to say the least, but there are certainly some good things that came out of this middling season as well.
The Chargers new quarterback Justin Herbert had a massive year in 2020, with 4,336 passing yards and 31 touchdowns. His efforts won him a well-deserved Rookie of the Year award and effectively made him the best quarterback in California. Former starters Tyrod Taylor certainly never panned out, and Philip Rivers was never able to bring them a championship. Herbert has proven to be immensely talented, and the team can focus on building around this young star for the future.
It’s clear that the team has high aspirations going forward, and another major step towards their dreams of a championship was hiring a new coach. Anthony Lynn was let go after this past season, eventually being replaced by the former Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley. Expect Staley to help bolster their defense to match their promising offense that is emerging. There is a lot of talent here on the Chargers, and with a new coach to guide the team we could be seeing big things from them this season.
Los Angeles Rams
Last season the Rams may have not been the same explosive team that faced the Patriots in the Super Bowl in 2019, but this team has enormous talent including a smothering defense, and this upcoming season is their chance to reclaim the NFC. However, one thing that the Rams certainly need to focus on is their consistency. Throughout 2020, their pattern of win-win-loss, left them with a 10-6 record. While this made them the best team in California and got them into the playoffs, it was not enough to take them to the Super Bowl again.
However, it is clear that the Rams are a talented team and there is no reason to think that they won’t be even better than last season. Their defensive line was sensational last season, with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey among the best defensive players in the league. While the team didn’t have the greatest draft year, they still selected several talented defensive players to add even more to this lineup. The Rams could return as a major contender this season.