During July, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will be analyzing the schedules of every team in the NFL and ranking each game in order of difficulty (with one being the most difficult). This series will be split up into the eight most difficult games (ranked 1-8) and the eight easiest games (ranked 9-16) for each team. In this article, the Los Angeles Chargers easiest games are the focus.
Los Angeles Chargers Easiest Games in 2017
9. Week 4 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Last year, Philadelphia showed the league that they are getting better. Carson Wentz showed promise as a rookie quarterback, and the Eagles defense played very well. Wentz might have his struggles against a very good Chargers defense. Philip Rivers is an experienced quarterback that can play well against a good defense like the Eagles have. Los Angeles can win this game if their offense can score enough.
10. Week 7 vs. Broncos
Los Angeles was able to beat the Broncos at home in 2016. The Chargers offense was able to find holes in Denver’s defense and took advantage of it. Los Angeles continues to have a “sneaky” good defense that they continue to build. Denver’s offense is not nearly as good as the Chargers. Rivers needs to attack the weaknesses of Denver’s defense, and victory is definitely possible.
11. Week 14 vs. Washington Redskins
Los Angeles hosts a Redskins team with a suspect defense. Washington’s offense moves the chains with Kirk Cousins under center, but they did lose Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson in free agency. Washington hasn’t been able to find a bell cow to run the football consistently. Overall, the Redskins have a lot of question marks going into this season. Los Angeles has the weapons and the defense to get past them.
12. Week 3 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City has fired general manager John Dorsey before the season even started. Patrick Mahomes is the quarterback that the Chiefs just drafted. The Chiefs might be getting close to a rebuild. The team has yet to win a Super Bowl with Alex Smith and Andy Reid at the helm. The Chiefs might be taking a step back next season. Los Angeles has a great opportunity to take advantage of this. Philip Rivers is a seasoned quarterback with all the weapons needed to beat this Chiefs team.
13. Week 11 vs. Bills
Buffalo fired their head coach and general manager after a disappointing 2016 season. Tyrod Taylor has flashes of brilliance, but ultimately, the Bills running game is the focal point of the offense. The team will look a lot different on both sides of the ball in 2017. Los Angeles can beat up on a young unproven Bills team with a lot of holes. The Chargers have a more explosive offense and defense.
14. Week 10 at Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville has done a great job in both the draft and free agency in the last couple of seasons. Defensively, they are very promising, but the problem lies in the quarterback. Blake Bortles has yet to show he can be a franchise quarterback. Head coach Gus Bradley was fired and is now the Chargers defensive coordinator. Bradley could have some insight on the defense he helped to build.
15. Week 13 vs. Cleveland Browns
Cleveland is in full rebuild mode and shouldn’t be even close to good for a while. The team let a lot of players go in free agency, and the team overall is extremely young. Los Angeles did surprisingly lose to this team last year, but they’ll likely vow to not let that happen again. Though they might be worse now, Cleveland could become a really good team down the line. For now, the Browns are one of the worst teams in the league.
16. Week 16 vs. New York Jets
It appears the New York Jets have yet to find a young quarterback to build around. New York is one of the least talented rosters in the NFL. Years of not drafting well have resulted in the Jets being the worst team in the entire league. Los Angeles is far from being an elite team but when compared to the Jets, they might as well be. This is the easiest game of 2017 for the Chargers.
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