Week 10 Chargers vs Lions: Bolts hope to ride momentum into a statement win

Can the Bolts’ pass rush continue its success in a Chargers’ upset?

The Los Angeles Chargers (4-4) are hosting the Detroit Lions (6-2) after playing far and away their two best games of the season. After sluggishly starting at 2-4, the Bolts shed an old habit of playing down to weaker competition and handedly beat the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, outscoring their opponents 57-19 in this two week stretch.

More important than the wins themselves was the energy the team – or more accurately, the defense and special teams – displayed over this two week stretch. The fanbase has waited a year-and-a-half for the Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa tandem to come alive, and the wait has surpassed expectations as an entire fleet of pass rushers have come together to form a dominant front.

At the beginning of the season, I asked BFTB members to predict how many players would have over six sacks at the end of the season. Here are the results to that question:

Most fans guessed we would have three passes rushers with over six sacks, with 32 of 62 votes swinging that direction. 22 fans guessed only two players would surpass the six sack mark. Four fans selected one player, and only two fans predicted that four players would surpass six sacks.

Well, merely eight games into the season, the Chargers already have three players at seven or more sacks, and Morgan Fox is right behind them with five.

The pass rush will have its toughest opponent of the season, as the Lions’ offensive line is a daunting and physical unit, the hard-nosed face of the culture Dan Campbell is hoping to build in the Motor City. Victory on Sunday afternoon will be likely be determined by this matchup.

DraftKings Sportsbook currently has the Chargers as 3-point underdogs this week… but this unit should relish the chance to upset a great opponent to get above the .500 mark for the first time this season.

We’ll keep you posted with coverage all week, Bolts From the Blue. This is sure to be an exciting one.