The NFL has released the Los Angeles Chargers schedule, which means that fans of the franchise are officially one step closer to the start of the 2023 season. The Chargers 2022 season ended in heartbreaking fashion, but the team should be even better in 2023 with Justin Herbert returning to health and Kellen Moore replacing Joe Lombardi. It’s going to be hard for them to win the AFC West, but can they finally topple the Kansas City Chiefs?
should we REALLY make our schedule release video an anime AGAIN?
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yes yes yesyes pic.twitter.com/z7qyNGyWHp— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) May 12, 2023
Los Angeles Chargers Schedule: Predicting Every Game
Week 1: vs Miami Dolphins
The Los Angeles Chargers schedule kicks off against one of the more explosive offenses in the league. Even if Tua Tagovailoa can stay on his feet, the Miami Dolphins will have a tough time winning this matchup. This is a strong team with a great coach and wide receiver, but their offensive line issues combined with a defense that could use a lot more depth gives the Chargers the advantage here.
Prediction: Chargers win, 1-0
Week 2: at Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans missed their Super Bowl window and are officially entering a massive rebuild. While Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry are still on the roster as of this posting, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if both players are gone by the time this game rolls around. Even if they’re still in town, this roster is in rough shape.
Prediction: Chargers win, 2-0
Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings went 11-0 in one-score games last year, and they won’t get that lucky in consecutive seasons. Yes, Jordan Addison is an upgrade on Adam Theilen, but he won’t fix this defense. This should be a high-scoring affair that ends with a Chargers win.
Prediction: Chargers win, 3-0
Week 4: vs Las Vegas Raiders
Josh McDaniels is continuing proof that being a good offensive mind does not make you a good head coach. The Las Vegas Raiders only won six games last year, and their roster is considerably worse now than it was in 2022. While a lot of their losses came in rather ridiculous ways, it’s hard to see their record improving too dramatically with Jimmy Garoppolo behind that terrible offensive line.
Prediction: Chargers win, 4-0
randomly thought of this Justin Herbert throw today pic.twitter.com/JXFHosIbex
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) April 4, 2023
Week 6: vs Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are one of the best teams in the NFC, and this matchup will not be easy for the Los Angeles Chargers. While Dallas has a much better defense than the Chargers, Justin Herbert is better than Dak Prescott, and former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore should be able to give the team a few inside scoops. Add in the fact that the Chargers schedule gives them a bye week right before this game, and Los Angeles should come out of this with a win.
Prediction: Chargers win, 5-0
Week 7: at Kansas City Chiefs
This is easily the most important game on the Los Angeles Chargers schedule. The Chiefs are far and away the biggest obstacle in winning the AFC West, and the Chargers need to take down their dreaded foes if they want to increase their chances of winning it all. While the Chiefs won both matchups last year, they only did it by a combined six points. Los Angeles has gotten considerably better since then, so these two teams are about as evenly matched as it can get. Any time a game is this close, you have to bet on the home team.
Prediction: Chargers lose, 5-1
Week 8: vs Chicago Bears
The Bears are going all-in on Justin Fields, and they finally surrounded the quarterback with talent on both offense and defense. Chicago should improve dramatically from their three-win 2022, but they’re not good enough to pull off an upset on a Super Bowl contender like the Chargers.
Prediction: Chargers win, 6-1
Week 9: at New York Jets
The New York Jets found a way to go 7-10 with Zach Wilson, Mike White, and Joe Flacco under center. That alone deserves tons of praise, and now that Aaron Rodgers is in town, the sky is the limit. Rodgers isn’t the player he once was, but he’s still good enough to get the most out of this borderline top-10 roster. Considering this game is on the road, we’ll give the edge to the four-time MVP.
Prediction: Chargers lose, 6-2
Week 10: vs Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions told the world they were legit in 2022, but instead of making moves to go from good to great, the team effectively said they’re content with 8-9. Selecting a running back and inside linebacker in the first round is what teams do when they’re only one or two pieces away from winning it all, and Detroit isn’t that good yet. Maybe they get nine or 10 wins in 2023, but none of them will be against the Chargers.
Prediction: Chargers win, 7-2
Week 11: at Green Bay Packers
With Aaron Rodgers out of town, the Green Bay Packers are devoting the 2023 season to figuring out what they have in Jordan Love. Love may or may not be a franchise quarterback, but the rest of the roster is so young that they won’t be able to carry him if he struggles.
Prediction: Chargers win, 8-2
Week 12: vs Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson got PAID, and the Ravens surrounded their quarterback with tons of receiving talent in Odell Beckham and Zay Flowers. This team should be a lot better than they were last year, and this game will go down to the wire. Baltimore is a hard team to predict because there are so many unknowns throughout the roster, but if they’re healthy, they should pull off the win.
Prediction: Chargers lose, 8-3
Week 13: at New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have been surprisingly effective against the Chargers in the post-Brady Era, but that winning streak comes to a close here. The Patriots should still have a good defense, but there is no way that a Mac Jones offense with no real weapons can keep up with Herbert and the Chargers.
Prediction: Chargers win, 9-3
Week 14: vs Denver Broncos
The Russell Wilson experiment was a complete disaster last year, and it’s hard to see the situation improving in 2023. Sean Payton prefers to operate a quick passing attack exploiting the middle of the field, and even at his best, Wilson was never good at that aspect of the game. Add in the fact that Ejiro Evero is no longer the defensive coordinator and Joe Lombardi is now the offensive coordinator and this could get ugly, fast.
Prediction: Chargers win, 10-3
Week 15: at Las Vegas Raiders
We’re predicting a division sweep on the Los Angeles Chargers schedule. The Raiders don’t have the defensive pieces to slow down Justin Herbert and these great wide receivers, and Garoppolo and company can’t possibly keep up with Herbert.
Prediction: Chargers win, 11-3
Week 16: vs Buffalo Bills
In what will probably be their hardest non-divisional game, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills will have something to prove when they come to Los Angeles. Allen was the MVP frontrunner last year before injuring his arm, and assuming he’s completely back to full strength, he’s one of the few quarterbacks that can go blow-for-blow with Justin Herbert. So, with the quarterbacks being equal, the edge will go to the better coaching staff and defense, and that belongs to the Bills.
Prediction: Chargers lose, 11-4
Week 17: at Denver Broncos
Divisional matchups are never easy, but the talent disparity here is just too large to ignore. The Chargers are simply better than the Broncos at just about everything, so we’ll have to assume they care of business once again.
Prediction: Chargers win, 12-4
Week 18: vs Kansas City Chiefs
This game could very well determine the AFC West champion and, if this Chargers schedule prediction is accurate, might even decide who gets the AFC’s lone bye week. As mentioned earlier, these two teams are pretty evenly matched, and home-field advantage will likely be the deciding factor here. Seeing as this game will take place in Los Angeles, the Chargers earn a win to close out the regular season.
Prediction: Chargers win, 13-4
Main Photo: Corey Perrine – USA Today Sports
