A 4-13 record for Chargers? That prediction is ridiculous

Yahoo! Sports’ annual simulation of the season using the Madden NFL game predicted the Chargers would finish 4-13, the team's worst record since 2015. That's the season receiver Keenan Allen played only eight games because of a lacerated kidney and rookie running back Melvin Gordon led the team with only 641 yards rushing.

A 4-13 season for the Chargers seems as unlikely as a 16-1 season for the Colts or the Saints winning the Super Bowl, as the simulation also predicted.

Here are three reasons why the Chargers' prediction is ridiculous:

New, improved defense

The Chargers added major pieces on defense in the offseason. Linebacker Khalil Mack will complement Joey Bosa and make it harder for teams to run against the Bolts -- good news for a team that allowed the third-most rushing yards in the league last season (2,361).

Defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day missed most of last season with the Rams with a torn pectoral muscle. He was on pace to have the best season of his career in tackles and tackles for a loss before the injury.

Cornerback J.C. Jackson, who signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract in March, will miss two to four weeks following ankle surgery. But corners Asante Samuel Jr and Michael Davis are highly capable.

Seasoned receivers and a young stud

Allen has broken the 1,000-yard receiving yard mark in four of the past five seasons (in 2020 he missed it by just eight yards). Mike Williams, who signed a three-year, $60 million deal in the offseason, set personal bests in yards (1,146) and catches (76) last season and has emerged as one of the NFL's best deep-threat receivers.

Joshua Palmer, a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, looks poised to have a breakout sophomore season, giving QB Justin Herbert weapons galore.

QB Justin Herbert

The third-year quarterback won nearly half the games he started in his first two seasons, finishing 15-17. He already holds franchise records for season passing yards (5,014) and passing touchdowns (38), and he posted the third-best QBR in the NFL last year (65.6).

In his annual QB tiers for The Athletic, Mike Sando put Hebert on Tier 1 and ranked him as the league's fifth-best QB.

“He has a chance to do something special," an offensive coach told Sando. "He’s the best pure thrower of the three young guys (Herbert, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow). I didn’t realize he was that athletic. One of our studs was chasing him down and he got around him and was laughing at him the whole time. The competitive spirit, the athletic ability, I saw a fricking stud in our game."