Last Season the Chargers went 8-8-0 and finished in first place in the AFC West division. In the playoffs, the Chargers defeated the Indianapolis Colts 23-17 in overtime before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-24 in the divisional playoff round.

Offense: The Chargers have been led by their rushing attack since running back LaDainian Tomlinson entered the league in 2001. But Tomlinson, now 30 years old, had the worst rushing season of his career last year as the Chargers ranked 20th in rushing. LT rushed for only 1,110 yards, the fewest of his career; and 11 touchdowns, the fewest since his rookie season. The bright spot of the offense last year was the continued development of quarterback Philip Rivers who threw for over 4.000 yards for the first time in his career. The passing game ranked seventh in the league last year due to both the efficiency of Rivers, and the inability of the rushing offense to get started. Even with Tomlinson having the worst season of his career, the Chargers were able to rank second in the league in points scored, and 11th in total yards.

Defense: On defense the Chargers took a big hit last year on defense when Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman missed all but one game after having knee surgery. His impact was greatly missed as the Chargers ranked 25th in the league in total yards allowed, 31st against the pass, and 15th in points allowed. The bright spot last year on defense was the rush defense that ranked 11th in the league. With Merriman back this season expect great things from a defense that missed his 68 tackles and 12.5 sacks from the linebacker position.

Star Power: The Chargers’ developing passing game has also led to the development of wide receiver Vincent Jackson. Last season Jackson had his first 1,000 yard season for the Chargers while nearly doubling his career totals in receiving yards. As Philip Rivers gets better and his numbers improve expect the same out of Jackson, especially with the current struggles of the running game. I expect Jackson to have his first 1,500 yard receiving season this year with double digit touchdowns.

Biggest Addition: With LaDainian Tomlinson’s age becoming an issue and his ability to contribute coming into question, the Chargers needed to make a decision on speedy running back Darren Sproles. They decided to franchise tag him for the season to see how he continues to develop alongside Tomlinson. Sproles can do many things for the Chargers: he can run the ball, catch it out of the backfield and return kicks; and he has excelled in all three areas. Sproles, who averaged 5.4 yards per rush and 11.8 yards per reception, is a big play waiting to happen whenever the ball gets in his hands. Now it’s up to the Chargers to find a way to get it there.

Biggest Loss: Last season when starting All-Pro linebacker Shawne Merriman went down with a knee injury last season, linebacker Matt Wilhelm stepped up and tried to fill his position. He finished with more tackles last season than both of the current backup middle linebackers have total in their young careers. With Merriman back this season, Wilhelm was cut by the Chargers. While he may have had only 50 tackles last year, Wilhelm had 97 in 2007. If he returns to his ’07 form the Chargers may have made regret letting him go.

Biggest Game: On Monday, October 19th, the Denver Broncos come to San Diego in Week 6. This game is important because the Chargers will be coming off their bye week and will have an extra week to prepare for Denver. Also, the Chargers could come into this game with a 1-3 record as their first four games are at Oakland, home vs. Baltimore and Miami and then at Pittsburgh before heading into the bye. San Diego won the division last year on the last game of the season. This year, like last season, every game will count.