The Chargers, along with the other 31 teams in the league, have known who, when and where they will be playing this upcoming season for nearly a week now.
After the schedule was officially released, we examined the toughest matchups for Los Angeles. So now it’s time to switch gears and look at the games that are the most winnable, in no particular order.
1. at Cincinnati Bengals, Sept. 13
A new era began in Cincinnati as No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow takes over under center. Even though the Bengals landed arguably the best player in the draft and a very talented quarterback, there’s always a large possibility of experiencing growing pains, especially in their professional debut. Not to mention, he will be going up against one of the league’s best defenses. Aside from key acquisitions that include second-round pick Tee Higgins, defensive tackle D.J. Reader, safety Von Bell, cornerback Trae Waynes, the team still doesn’t possess the firepower to pose a threat.
2. vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, Nov. 1
I’m not a firm believer in tanking, but if there was a team that was prone to doing so this season, it would be the Jaguars. Rather than signing a proven veteran like Cam Newton, they’re rolling with second-year Gardner Minshew. It could be because they have their eyes on Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. Over the course of the past year, they let go of some key players and just a month ago, running back Leonard Fournette was on the trading block. Last season, the Chargers took care of business on their home turf by the score of 42-10. I expect a similar result with the only difference being the game will be played at SoFi Stadium.
3. at Miami Dolphins, Oct. 25
It’s easy to pencil in first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa as the starting quarterback this season for the Dolphins, but there’s a possibility of him using this year to redshirt in order to let his hip completely get back to 100%. That would mean that Ryan Fitzpatrick would likely be under center. That’s not a bad thing as Fitzpatrick has proven to be serviceable in the starting role. Miami’s defense looks improved after adding cornerback Byron Jones, linebacker Kyle Van Noy and defensive end Shaq Lawson. However, the Chargers overall roster is still more superior than the Dolphins’.
4. vs. New York Jets, Oct. 18
The Jets did a nice job this offseason to build around quarterback Sam Darnold by giving him some wide receiver help with the additions of rookie Denzel Mims and veteran Breshad Perriman. Along with that, they improved their offensive line with rookie Mekhi Becton and veteran Connor McGovern. This should be the best protection that Darnold has gotten in his professional career, but it shouldn’t be expected that the unit will mesh this quickly. I could see the Chargers giving fits to New York’s reconstructed offense.
5. vs. Carolina Panthers, Sept. 27
The Panthers went into full rebuild mode this offseason with the hiring of new coach Matt Rhule and parting ways with quarterback Cam Newton and tight end Greg Olson. Replacing Newton is Teddy Bridgewater, who was acquired earlier this offseason. Carolina has enough weapons on the offensive side of the ball, led by running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Robby Anderson to be competitive. However, the defensive side of the ball is young and is lacking the firepower that was possessed by Luke Kuechly before announcing his retirement.