Via chargers.com
The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off a crazy 10-7 season. Having made the playoffs in 2022, but that dream of making it far came to a quick and bizarre end. The Chargers found their guy with Justin Herbert and are now looking to give him better development with a new offensive coordinator. The Chargers are a young and talented team that were held back by coaching last season, but this year it’s time to see some improvements.
The Chargers home and away schedule is broken down to the following:
Home
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lion
Dallas Cowboys
Baltimore Ravens
Away
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
Tennessee Titans
The Chargers don’t exactly have the easiest schedule here, but I would say expectations for home games should be high here. Last season the Chargers split with the Raiders and Broncos but were swept by the Chiefs. There are two teams who consistently put on a show when facing the Kansas City Chiefs, and that’s the Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals. The Chargers get to face Patrick Mahomes and company twice every year, but in 2022 fell short by three points both times. It’s just something about the Justin Herbert vs. Patrick Mahomes matchup that makes these games so fun to watch, and both sides always put out their best against each other. As for the Broncos and Raiders, I would be disappointed if the Chargers don’t sweep both teams. The Broncos may have gotten Sean Payton to help Russell Wilson, but at the end of the day, the locker room is in possible chaos, and a team cannot be successful if the locker room has emotions against their quarterback. The Raiders are unique with a new quarterback, and they could steal a win from the Chargers, but under Josh McDaniels, we’ll see if the coaching has improved.
The Chargers have to face off against the AFC East, leaving two games being primetime potential. The Bills matchup could be so exciting, as two quarterbacks with a monster cannon of an arm will be squaring off, but I do give the Chargers the edge here due to it being played at So-Fi stadium. As for the Dolphins, the Tua Tagovailoa vs. Justin Herbert conversation continues to be dragged along even though the Chargers won in 2022. Herbert and the Chargers can put this argument to a rest by outright defeating the Dolphins in a convincing manner again. This leaves the New York Jets and New England Patriots, which should be wins for the Los Angeles Chargers, but I’ve seen crazier things happen in football. The Chargers have such a better offense and defense than both these teams, which is why I give the win to the Chargers here against the Patriots and Jets.
This leaves the NFC North for the Chargers. Since Herbert has been drafted, he has yet to face off against an NFC North team. The Vikings with Justin Jefferson could be a big challenge against the Chargers young defense, and I give the Vikings the edge as well because it will be played in Minnesota. This leaves the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Bears. Depending on when the Chargers play the Packers, if it’s during the winter time, then I give the Packers the win because of the cold conditions. If it’s during the fall, then I give the Chargers the edge. As for the Lions and Bears, they are just still extremely young to face off against the Chargers defense, and I do believe the Chargers offense is significantly better than the Lions and Bears offense.
As for the rest of the opponents, the Titans, Cowboys, and Baltimore Ravens are interesting remaining opponents. Last season, the Chargers did fall to the Titans but allowed Derrick Henry to run for 104 yards and a rushing touchdown. If the Chargers can limit Henry, then the Chargers should be able to win this matchup. The Cowboys are interesting as well, as they have a crazy pass rush, but the Chargers have a decent offensive line. Depending on if the Chargers defense shows up to play four full quarters, I could see the Chargers winning this game. As for the Ravens, the Chargers have limited mobile quarterbacks fairly well in terms of rushing yards, and depending on who the quarterback is for Baltimore, I could see the Chargers being able to limit whoever it is.
The Chargers have a unique schedule, but I could see them winning at least 12 games, with five potential losses, but I could see that being less. The Chargers have a bright future and can take advantage of this easier schedule. I would not be surprised to see them in the playoffs again.
