Why Los Angeles Chargers will beat Dolphins, why they won’t, and a prediction

The Los Angeles Chargers hit the road and hope to stop a two-game skid while visiting the Miami Dolphins in Week 6. 

Normally, the prospects of squaring off with a 1-4 team wouldn’t be nearly as scary, but the Chargers have some serious injury woes chasing them into the game. 

Here’s a look at whether the Chargers will or won’t beat the Dolphins, plus a final prediction. 

Why Chargers will beat Dolphins

The Chargers still have the better quarterback all these years later. Justin Herbert had some MVP-like performances when his line was healthy, including an added ability as a runner. Tua Tagovailoa has completed 70.7 percent of his passes, but isn’t elevating the Dolphins right now, which includes losses to bad New England and Carolina teams. A defense that just added pass-rusher Odafe Oweh via trade should be able to keep the Dolphins in check, too. 

Why Chargers won’t beat Dolphins

This is one of those weird cross-country, early East Coast kickoffs for the Chargers, which presents some problems. Herbert’s offensive line is a massive disaster due to injuries, too, and he’s missing not only his top two running backs, but also likely Quentin Johnston. And despite his faults, Tagovailoa is good for a random outburst. The Chargers pass-rush won’t have Khalil Mack and is struggling enough that the front office made a trade at all, so it’s exploitable. 

Chargers vs. Dolphins prediction

The Chargers have been road favorites all week in this one for a reason, even despite the shocking number of injuries for the road team. Herbert is playing that well through it all and more often than not, the Jesse Minter-coordinated defense is super reliable. This might get ugly and need some late Herbert heroics, but the Chargers figure to get back on track. 

Prediction: Chargers 27, Dolphins 24