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As we continue our look at each of the Colts’ thirteen opponents in 2016, we move on to the team’s week three contest against the San Diego Chargers.
The game will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium and will be a late-afternoon kickoff, the third-straight 4:25 game the Colts have to begin the season (they won’t have a 1:00 game until the second week in October). The Chargers have historically given the Colts trouble, and it could be a key game sandwiched in-between games against the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos (week three) and in London against the Jaguars (week five).
To get a better idea of the outlook for San Diego heading into 2016, we wanted to get the opinion of Bolts from the Blue, SB Nation’s site covering the Chargers. Here’s what they had to say:
San Diego Chargers
Notable free agent additions:
NT Brandon Mebane, CB Casey Hayward, WR Travis Benjamin, S Dwight Lowery, OG/C Matt Slauson
Notable free agent departures:
TE Ladarius Green, CB Patrick Robinson, S Eric Weddle
Trades:
None
Draft picks expected to contribute as rookies:
DE Joey Bosa will start at the 5-tech in the base defense, TE Hunter Henry will see a ton of time in 2 TE sets, LB Joshua Perry will challenge Manti Te’o for playing time
Biggest offseason addition:
OG/C Matt Slauson
Biggest storyline heading into training camp:
Not football-related, it’s still “will this be the Chargers’ last season in San Diego?” Slightly more football-related, it’s “will Joey Bosa get signed in time for training camp or will he continue to holdout?”
Under-the-radar storyline heading into training camp:
The return of Ken Whisenhunt as offensive coordinator should see a return to the quick passing game that allowed Philip Rivers to flourish previously.
Notable injuries heading into training camp:
OG/C Chris Watt will miss time due to surgery (roster spot could be threatened). RB Melvin Gordon is still recovering from offseason surgery (though appears on schedule)