NFL Preseason: A Sign that the San Diego Chargers Will Win the AFC West?

Last year, the Chargers were the top-ranked team in the NFL in total offense and defense.

That should have made San Diego a Super Bowl contender, right? Wrong.

Special teams cost the Chargers an AFC West title, let alone the Vince Lombardi trophy, as they finished with a record of 9-7 whereas the Kansas City Chiefs won the division by going 10-6.

But this year?

With the NFL changing the rules on kickoffs, putting the tee on the 35-yard line instead of the 30, many thought returning kickoffs for touchdowns would be impossible. They apparently thought wrong.

In the third quarter of the Chargers' opening preseason game, Bryan Walters may have secured his spot as the kickoff returner. He returned a kickoff 103 yards for six points.

I wouldn't go so far as to judge the success of a team's season based on one preseason play. However, this could be a good sign for San Diego.