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The Los Angeles Chargers will be Super Bowl champions this season.

Well, at least according to defensive end Melvin Ingram.

"This Super Bowl we're going to win," Ingram told reporters while smiling, per Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. "We haven't been to the playoffs in a while. I think it's going to be crazy, this Super Bowl we're going to win is going to be crazy. We're ready. We've got to bring a Super Bowl to the city."

So, where did this influx of confidence in the team—which hasn't reached the postseason since 2013—come from?

"I was taught you've got to speak stuff into existence," Ingram said, denying that his prediction would put any added pressure on himself or the team. "If you want to do something, you've got to say you're going to do it and then you've got to go do it. We can't just say we're just trying to win a few games. Nah, that's not what we're trying to do. We're trying to win a Super Bowl."

There is certainly reason for optimism in San Diego.

The team went 9-7 last season and has playmakers on both sides of the ball. On offense, Keenan Allen, Melvin Gordon and Mike Williams should provide a spark. Defensively, the front seven is littered with beasts, including Ingram, Joey Bosa and Denzel Perryman, while Casey Heyward is a playmaker at cornerback and rookie Derwin James should upgrade the safety position.

Ingram will certainly play a big role in the team's season. With 29 sacks over the past three seasons, he's emerged as one of the NFL's more dangerous edge-rushers. Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus listed him as the No. 24 player overall in the 2017 season, writing:

"The development of Ingram into one of the game’s best edge rushers went into overdrive in 2017. Ingram posted his third-consecutive career year, and finally elevated past the 90.0 barrier in overall PFF grading (91.9). He notched 76 total pressures over the regular season, the fifth-most among edge rushers. Ingram got pressure in every single game this season, and had at least three pressures in all but one games."

The Chargers are not without their question marks, however. Will they improve against the run a season after giving up an NFL-worst 4.9 yards per carry? How will they replace tight end Hunter Henry, lost for the season after tearing his ACL? Can Philip Rivers continue to play at a high level?

Ingram likely would say that the team will answer those questions and take a major leap forward in 2018. Head coach Anthony Lynn might be more conservative in his answers, pointing out that there are still dangerous teams within the AFC West to worry about.