By Fredo Cervantes
The Chargers will be playing the Rams at SoFi Stadium Saturday night for their first preseason game of the year.
Over the last two seasons, they have opened the preseason against each other and the Chargers have won 20 out of 39 preseason matchups.
Training camp has gone well for both LA teams but the Chargers have higher expectations entering this year. They rebuild this team to contend for a Super Bowl for the next few years with the extension Justin Herbert signed at the beginning of training camp. Additions like Eric Kendricks to the defense is a huge move and with first round pick WR Quentin Johnston, who has been the talk of training camp.
The Rams won the Super Bowl two years ago and last season failed to make the playoffs after a devastating season they had. Rams QB Matthew Stafford is coming off an injury and is expected to start the season on the field which seemed like Stafford got what he came for, a championship ring.
Defensive star Aaron Donald is also back this season feeling hungry to win games this season as this has been his message throughout training camp. The Rams look a whole lot different than they did in 2022, parting ways with CB Jalen Ramsey, LB Bobby Wagner, OLB Leonard Floyd and WR Allen Robinson.
Incase you didn’t know, the Rams are the youngest and least experienced team in the NFL right now, holding 36 rookies on their 90-man roster. That inexperience and youth will be very evident in the preseason opener Saturday night with some veterans expected to rest.
Chargers head coach Brandon Staley was part of the Rams coaching staff under Sean McVay in 2020 before taking the head coaching job for the Chargers. Staley always talked about how much he learned from McVay and how helped elevate that teams defense to another level. It’s always great to see how both of these teams match up against each other as they share SoFi Stadium and fans get to enjoy a mutual home game.
This will be the first action we will see under new Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who just arrived after spending a few years with the Dallas Cowboys.
