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With the Tuesday games, not sure how "complete" the rankings will be this week.
First group, published before Monday Night Football:
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Dalton Miller - Pro Football Network 9 (LW 9)
We can sit on our $75 gaming chairs on Friday morning and scoff at Brandon Staley's decisions to go for it as much as we want, but it doesn't change anything. At its very base, a fourth-down model should calculate a team's win probability if they go for it as compared to kicking. It should also provide historical data for how often teams convert in specific situations.
Staley also wins the admiration from everyone on his football team --- aside from maybe kicker Dustin Hopkins* --- because of his undying confidence that his team will pick up fourth-down conversions.
After the Chargers' loss and the Colts' impressive win, they flipped spots in the AFC Wild Card hunt. Yet, with games against the Texans, Broncos, and Raiders still on the schedule, LA has three pretty winnable games left to improve their conference record and try to sneak back into the fifth seed.
*Author had Michael Badgley, vs. Hopkins
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Vinnie Iyer - Sporting News x (LW 10)
The Chargers might be in the first place in the AFC West had they executed better in the red zone and fourth downs against the Chiefs. Instead, they are clinging to a wild-card playoff spots. Regardless, they remain a very dangerous playoff team because Justin Herbert's big arm and Austin Ekeler's quickness.
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Matt Johnson - Sportsnaut 8 (LW 8)
The Donald Parham injury hung over the Thursday Night Football game and the Los Angeles Chargers weren't quite right after. But this team battled and Justin Herbert demonstrated that he'll be able to compete in shootouts with Patrick Mahomes for years to come.
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Russell S. Baxter - Fansided 14 (LW 13)
Thanks to a win at Kansas City in Week 3, the Bolts were in position to sweep the Chiefs for the first time since 2013. Justin Herbert threw for 236 yards and two scores (1 interception) and also ran for a touchdowns.
The Bolts also gashed the Chiefs' defense for 192 yards on the ground. But Brandon Staley's team was 2-of-5 on fourth-down and left points on the field. And his defense had no answers for Patrick Mahomes in the fourth quarter and OT.
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First group, published before Monday Night Football:
----
Dalton Miller - Pro Football Network 9 (LW 9)
We can sit on our $75 gaming chairs on Friday morning and scoff at Brandon Staley's decisions to go for it as much as we want, but it doesn't change anything. At its very base, a fourth-down model should calculate a team's win probability if they go for it as compared to kicking. It should also provide historical data for how often teams convert in specific situations.
Staley also wins the admiration from everyone on his football team --- aside from maybe kicker Dustin Hopkins* --- because of his undying confidence that his team will pick up fourth-down conversions.
After the Chargers' loss and the Colts' impressive win, they flipped spots in the AFC Wild Card hunt. Yet, with games against the Texans, Broncos, and Raiders still on the schedule, LA has three pretty winnable games left to improve their conference record and try to sneak back into the fifth seed.
*Author had Michael Badgley, vs. Hopkins
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Vinnie Iyer - Sporting News x (LW 10)
The Chargers might be in the first place in the AFC West had they executed better in the red zone and fourth downs against the Chiefs. Instead, they are clinging to a wild-card playoff spots. Regardless, they remain a very dangerous playoff team because Justin Herbert's big arm and Austin Ekeler's quickness.
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Matt Johnson - Sportsnaut 8 (LW 8)
The Donald Parham injury hung over the Thursday Night Football game and the Los Angeles Chargers weren't quite right after. But this team battled and Justin Herbert demonstrated that he'll be able to compete in shootouts with Patrick Mahomes for years to come.
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Russell S. Baxter - Fansided 14 (LW 13)
Thanks to a win at Kansas City in Week 3, the Bolts were in position to sweep the Chiefs for the first time since 2013. Justin Herbert threw for 236 yards and two scores (1 interception) and also ran for a touchdowns.
The Bolts also gashed the Chiefs' defense for 192 yards on the ground. But Brandon Staley's team was 2-of-5 on fourth-down and left points on the field. And his defense had no answers for Patrick Mahomes in the fourth quarter and OT.
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