Predicting what will happen next season is already tough enough, but Sports Illustrated recently took it another step further.
Which teams are going to go on and win the next five Super Bowls?
MMQB's Mitch Goldich gathered his fellow colleagues for an exercise he first did back in 2019, where each took on the task of predicting the winners of the next five championships. There were some hits, but also some misses, as to be expected in such a large window.
Nonetheless, the group's finally tally in this next edition had plenty of love for the Chargers.
Four out of the eight contributors predicted the Chargers as one of their teams to win a Lombardi Trophy within the next five years.
In fact they were one of most popular picks in the list, trailing only the Chiefs, Lions and 49ers for the most commonly selected.
The reasoning behind it? The trust in two major cornerstones on the team in Head Coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback Justin Herbert.
Albert Breer, who voted for the Bolts as one of his teams, wrote:
I figured I'd… throw my curveball with the Los Angeles Chargers, just because I think Jim Harbaugh is going to find his way back to the NFL's big stage, armed with one of the game's most gifted quarterbacks in Justin Herbert.
Harbaugh's first year in the powder blue saw quite the turnaround as the Bolts went 11-6 and made the playoffs after recording just five wins in 2023.
It led to a jump from Herbert as well, who finished 2024 top 10 in passing yards, quarterback rating and pass EPA and heads into the next season as an MVP candidate.
There was a lot of things to consider for those making the predictions, but having the foundation of Harbaugh, Herbert and the rest of the staff and players have some expecting big things from the Bolts in the near future.
Gilberto Manzano, another panelist to select the Chargers, wrote:
The Chargers have Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh. Those two alone will turn the organization into a playoff team within two years, before forming into a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Harbaugh will eventually build stout offensive and defensive lines and a productive running game to let Herbert shine in the postseason.
To view the full predictions, click here.
