When they began to survey the roster and all that went haywire before their arrival, general manager Joe Hortiz, coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter decided the Chargers’ defense could be and should be upgraded for the 2024 season.

After Week 16, let’s see where Los Angeles stands in NFL power rankings: “It took a 48-year stretch, but the Bolts have now converted the NFL’s last two successful fair catch kicks. Bummer that Bill Belichick, who enjoys an arcane football rule as much as anyone, won’t be on the sideline at Foxborough on Saturday when the Chargers visit.”

Because he has the Bengals beating the Steelers -- and thus the AFC No. 5 seed being in play for the Chargers at kickoff -- Simms likes Los Angeles to beat Las Vegas in Week 18, by the exact same score as Florio thinks.