With the 2021 NFL schedule dropping, it’s time to break down each game for each team and rank the games in difficulty from 1-17, with 17 being the least difficult. One wrinkle this year is that it’s the first 17-game season ever. For this piece, we’ll be looking at the Los Angeles Chargers 2021 schedule.
Los Angeles Chargers Schedule Breakdown: Difficulty Rankings
1. Week 3: @ Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs may not be Super Bowl champions anymore, but they are still the reigning AFC champions and thus the most difficult team the Chargers will face, given that they don’t play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year. As usual, the game in Arrowhead will be the more difficult one. The Chargers actually did a good at locking down Patrick Mahomes in Week 2 of last year for three quarters – but as they found out, that will still generally not be enough unless you build a big enough lead.
2. Week 15: vs Kansas City Chiefs
While there are some other very good teams the Chargers face this year, none of them quite reach the level of juggernaut – hence why both Chiefs matchups rank as the toughest. It ought to be a little easier at home, but Mahomes is still a very difficult quarterback to play against. On the plus side, NFL fans will be marking their calendars for these games (especially this one, since it’s on primetime), as watching Mahomes and Justin Herbert go toe-to-toe twice a year for the next decade or so will surely be quite entertaining.
3. Week 6: @ Baltimore Ravens
This feels like the kind of situation where – if the Chargers aren’t careful – the Ravens could easily tear them apart with their versatile running attack. If the Ravens rely more on the pass, it might get a little easier, but that’s not usually what happens. Lamar Jackson is not an easy quarterback to defend either, though for different reasons than Mahomes. It doesn’t help matters that the Chargers have to play on the road and are sometimes prone to east-coast blues.
4. Week 5: vs Cleveland Browns
It’s truly hard to believe that the Cleveland Browns are getting ranked this high, but times are changing. This is another team with a deadly run attack, and to make matters worse, their passing attack is fairly consistent as well. Their defense will be a challenge as well. The good news is that the Chargers do not have to travel for this one.
5. Week 11: vs Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers do not seem to be in the best of states right now after their massive collapse at the end of last season. Despite that, it’s hard to dismiss them entirely. Even with Ben Roethlisberger aging, it’s hard to place all the blame on him considering how many drops the receivers were having. And that defense is still no slouch. It bears reminding that the Steelers have not had a losing season since 2003 – and that included a 2019 season where they were stuck with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges at quarterback. The path to victory here will likely involve the defensive line, given that a fair portion of last year’s Steelers offensive line is gone.
6. Week 1: @ Washington Football Team
It may be hard to believe that any team from the NFC Least would rank this high. However, this team (despite their lack of a name) shouldn’t be slept on. They’re currently the most well-rounded roster in that division, and their quarterback room is much improved over last year’s. Plus, their defensive front led by Chase Young will prove a tough test for the revamped Chargers offensive line in the season opener.
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7. Week 18: @ Las Vegas Raiders
Now we get to the rest of the divisional opponents. Neither the Raiders nor the Broncos look playoff-ready right now (or maybe the Raiders will – until they blow a 6-4 start again), but divisional games always have to be given a bit of a difficulty boost regardless of whether the team is great on paper or not. And these two teams always play each other close. That said, the fact that this is a December Raiders game does bode a little better for the Chargers, at least given the last two years for the Raiders.
8. Week 12: @ Denver Broncos
The Broncos may look like the weakest team in the West right now, but one cannot sleep on them either. The Chargers actually know all about this, because as inconsistent as Drew Lock is, he can still surprise an unprepared team – or one that’s taken their foot off the gas pedal in the second half. Playing on the road at Mile High is never particularly easy either.
9. Week 10: vs Minnesota Vikings
The weird extra 17th game of the season. It’s rather hard to know what to expect from the Vikings at this point. They’re quite capable, but they couldn’t always seem to put it together last year – often because of the offensive line. On another hand, Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen are in the running for the deadliest receiver duo in the league.
10. Week 4: vs Las Vegas Raiders
Not much to say here that was not already said earlier on the other Raiders entry. Theoretically, the home game should be a little easier, but these two teams almost always play each other close–and this is game is in primetime, where that often ends up being even more true. The Chiefs may be the toughest opponent in the division, but the Raiders are their biggest rival.
11. Week 17: vs Denver Broncos
One still shouldn’t sleep on even the presumed weakest divisional opponent, but at least playing at home should make this easier. That was how the series got split last year – each team won their home game. But it should ultimately come down to how well the Chargers finish. Of course, that’s been a question in general the last couple of years – hopefully, the new coaching regime will make a difference.
12. Week 8: vs New England Patriots
The Chargers actually suffered their worst loss of the season last year to this team (and one of their very worst in franchise history as well), but much of that could be blamed on the offensive line and special teams. At least one of those looks a lot better now. And the Patriots are still a toss-up – their receivers have improved a little, but we don’t even know which quarterback the Chargers will face at that time. One can’t ever sleep on Bill Belichick, but this team still does not seem as threatening on paper as others.
13. Week 14: vs New York Giants
Between their stout defense, the return of Saquon Barkley, and their receiving corps with the addition of Kenny Golladay, this team’s a lot more well-rounded than some might care to admit. The question mark is still the quarterback (Daniel Jones), and that’s why this team remains lower on the difficulty scale.
14. Week 2: vs Dallas Cowboys
Before Dak Prescott went down, this team’s offense was on fire. The problem was that the defense was not – and unless they do show dramatic improvement this year, that will give the Chargers an edge. The issue of how good Prescott and his receiving corps are could still turn this into a shootout – more so than some of the games ranked above this one. But the Chargers ought to be able to come away with the win in their home opener.
15. Week 13: @ Cincinnati Bengals
While a game between Herbert and Joe Burrow definitely has the potential to be entertaining, the Bengals still do not have much of an offensive line – an issue that is likely to hamper them again this year. The Bengals are basically in a state right now of guilty until proven innocent.
16. Week 9: @ Philadelphia Eagles
Here’s a case of facing a team with a front office in shambles, a new coach that doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into, and we’re still not 100% sure who the quarterback is going to be at this point (due to the fickleness of the front office). Even with having to travel to the opposite coast, the Eagles do not seem like a threat right now.
17. Week 16: @ Houston Texans
Here’s a case of facing a team with a front office in shambles, a new coach that doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into, and we’re still not 100% sure who the quarterback is going to be at this point (due to… well… you know what). Wait, we already said that about the last team? Well, multiply the severity of the situation by about 100. It might be a road game, but considering how fast this team’s going downhill, it’s worth wondering whether there even will be many Texans fans in the stadium by that point.
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