With the Chargers’ schedule release coming out, the hype around the team is currently buzzing through the roof. However, any sane fan will tell you that winning the Superbowl in year one of a brand-new regime is extremely unlikely. Do the Los Angeles Chargers have any shot of defying the odds and finding themselves in the big game? What are three games that will define the type of team they are in 2024?
it’s on lock
→ https://t.co/ZY6E0ICWXJ pic.twitter.com/5S7hvUC4mM
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) May 16, 2024
Three Chargers Games That Can Define Their 2024 Season
Week 1 vs Las Vegas Raiders – Kicking Off The Chargers Schedule
Sunday, 1:05 PM PST @ Home
Let’s start with the first game on the Chargers schedule, Week One. Right off the bat, the Chargers will face their most heated rival, the Las Vegas Raiders. This will be a major test to see how the Bolts will keep up against a team that is expected to be average at best this year. This will be Head Coach, Jim Harbaugh’s first game back in the NFL since 2014. A lot has changed since then, and week one against the Raiders will hopefully not come as a shock to Harbaugh.
A team with a lackluster Quarterback situation and a new front office is likely to experience growing pains. However, the offensive talent around Gardner Minshew/Aiden O’Connell cannot be understated. The Chargers will have their hands full and they must prevail early on in their respective schedule to prove that they are worthy of playoff contention.
Week 12 vs Baltimore Ravens – Bragging Rights
Monday Night Football @ Home
Moving into the latter half of the 2024 NFL Chargers Schedule, this game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Baltimore Ravens is the one that many have circled on their calendars. The Chargers will be facing the Ravens in the “Harbaugh Bowl.” Ravens Head Coach, John Harbaugh will be looking to one-up his little brother to remind him who won the last important Harbaugh Bowl, the 2012 Superbowl.
This game on the Chargers schedule comes at utmost importance for the Bolts, beyond the bragging rights between the two brothers. Coming in later in the year, the team’s identity is likely already found. However, this game takes place in the home stretch to show that they are ready to compete against the “big dogs” of the AFC. The Ravens have been one of the best teams in the AFC for the majority of the John Harbaugh reign. Can the Chargers prove that they are no longer a part of the bottom tier of the AFC, beating one of the best teams in the NFL on primetime?
Week 14 vs Kansas City Chiefs – The Start of the Final Stretch
Sunday Night Football @ Arrowhead Stadium
The last game that is of utmost importance for the Chargers, is their second meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14. This game comes in on the Chargers’ schedule as their third and final primetime game, giving the national media what could be the last nationwide taste of who the new Jim Harbaugh-led Chargers are. Winning against one of the best teams in the NFL on primetime, as a divisional rival late in the season could make all the difference in playoff seeding and general media attention.
The Chargers’ schedule will never be easy as long as they match up against Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. This is a tall task for any team, but hopefully, a brand new identity for the Chargers will reign in their first win against the Chiefs since September of 2021, giving the team a much-needed win late in the year.
Main Photo: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
