The Los Angeles Chargers’ schedule for the 2022 season was released on Thursday evening.
To gear you up for the new campaign, here’s a look at the Bolts’ opponents, ranked from easiest to toughest.
14. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are squarely in rebuild mode with Matt Ryan out of town this season. Whether Atlanta’s QB is Marcus Mariota or rookie second-rounder Desmond Ridder, the primary targets will be second-year tight end Kyle Pitts and rookie receiver Drake London. LA should have enough firepower in the secondary to handle both. On the ground, the Falcons return Cordarrelle Patterson and add fifth-rounder Tyler Allgeier. But with an offensive line identical to 2021’s, don’t expect Atlanta’s ground game to be much better than 31st by DVOA, as they were a season ago.
On defense, the Falcons will rely on rookies Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone and veteran Lorenzo Carter to generate pressure on Justin Herbert. It’s a marginal improvement over their group last season, but shouldn’t be too difficult of an assignment for the new-look Chargers offensive line. Grady Jarrett will still wreak havoc on the interior, but LA now has proficient players at all three spots to avoid bad matchups. Former Charger Casey Hayward teams up with AJ Terrell as Atlanta’s primary corner duo.
13. Jacksonville Jaguars
Year 2 of the Trevor Lawrence experience should be a smoother one for Jacksonville with Doug Pederson at the helm, but this is still a young, rebuilding team. James Robinson and Travis Etienne return from injuries in the backfield, but time will tell how effective they are, especially if the matchup comes early in the season. Jacksonville paid big money for Christian Kirk and Zay Jones to renovate the WR corps, while Evan Engram is the newest member of the TE room. The offensive line is in flux, especially at center, where the Jags cut veteran Brandon Linder and replaced him with rookie Luke Fortner.
No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker and fourth-year Josh Allen are a formidable pass-rushing duo if Walker gets up to speed quickly. The linebacker trio of Foyesade Oluokun, Devin Lloyd, and Chad Muma is brand new but talented and could cause some problems if they gel from the get-go. Darious Williams was a frequent appearance on Chargers fans’ wishlists before the team signed JC Jackson, and now he pairs with Shaquill Griffin at corner. Jacksonville is not devoid of talent like they were when the Chargers last faced them in 2020, but it’s a young and inexperienced team that shouldn’t cause too many problems.
12. Seattle Seahawks
It feels weird to put the Seahawks this low considering how consistent of a fixture they’ve been in the NFC playoff hunt, but this is a team that is committed to a remodel after trading Russell Wilson to Denver. In return, they received presumed starter Drew Lock, who is 3-2 against LA in his career despite throwing 5 interceptions in those contests. The Chargers’ new-look run defense will be tested against the likes of Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Walker III, and Chris Carson (health pending), while JC Jackson and Asante Samuel Jr. will go up against DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
It’ll be Uchenna Nwosu’s first chance at revenge when Seattle faces LA, as he and Darrell Taylor should be the starting pass rushers for the Seahawks. Jordyn Brooks is the new headman in the linebacker room after Bobby Wagner’s release, while Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs form a relatively strong safety combination. Corner opposite Sidney Jones will be a question mark, with a camp battle between young guns Tre Brown, Coby Bryant, and Tariq Woolen likely inbound.
11. Houston Texans
You’d think that the Texans should be lower than this, but that would be underestimating them the same way LA did last season when they lost a key game to Houston 41-29 on the day after Christmas. In that game, Rex Burkhead ran for a career-high 149 yards and 2 TDs despite the Texans ending the season with the worst rush DVOA in the league. Houston has since added former Colt Marlon Mack and rookie Dameon Pierce as additional backfield options.
On the bright side, the Chargers were missing more than a dozen players due to COVID protocols when they played Houston last. That list included Joey Bosa, Austin Ekeler, Mike Williams, and Corey Linsley, all of whom return and will play starring roles for LA this season. At full strength, this game shouldn’t really be a contest. But Justin Herbert did throw two interceptions, including a fourth-quarter pick-six in the game last season. Don’t underestimate Houston’s ability to play spoiler again.
10. Miami Dolphins
The speed of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle will be a lot to handle for this Chargers defense, but take solace in the fact that speed seemed to be a point of emphasis when targeting this year’s crop of rookie DBs. Third-round pick JT Woods ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at the combine, for example. As long as LA can keep everything in front of them, don’t be overly concerned about the passing attack, which also enters a make-or-break year with Tua Tagovailoa at the controls. Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert in Mike McDaniel’s run system should elevate the Dolphins from 29th in run DVOA in 2021, a score that will also be aided by the addition of left tackle Terron Armstead.
Miami has one of the better corner tandems in the league with Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, with do-it-all safety Jevon Holland also primed for a breakout season in year two. Defensively, the schemes should be a little bit easier to decipher with Brian Flores gone, but still expect Miami to try to pull the wool over LA’s eyes more often than not. Up front, Emmanuel Ogbah and Jaelan Phillips will be the primary pass rushers as the Dolphins compete for a playoff spot.
9. Indianapolis Colts
Ultimately, a matchup with Indianapolis will likely come down to how well the Chargers can limit Jonathan Taylor, last year’s first-team All-Pro selection at running back. LA hasn’t played the Colts since 2019, so there are no data points to go off of regarding Taylor, who could very well shred his way to 150+ yards. Through the air, the Matt Ryan-Michael Pittman Jr. connection will be the primary focus. Expect JC Jackson to keep tabs on Pittman for the duration of the contest.
Questions at corner abound for Indy, who will start veteran Stephon Gilmore on one side and top slot option Kenny Moore II inside. The other outside spot is a giant question mark after trading Rock Ya-Sin for edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue, which should be a weak point the Chargers can take advantage of.
8. Tennessee Titans
Much like Indianapolis, the game with Tennessee will hinge on LA’s ability to limit All-World RB Derrick Henry. Unlike Taylor, we have two previous games to go off of with Henry, who logged 12 carries for 33 yards in 2018 and 22 carries for 90 yards in 2019. Henry has always been the football equivalent of a volume shooter – the longer the game goes on, the better he gets; the longer the season goes on, the better he gets. If Tennessee is an early matchup, the Chargers’ chances should go up, especially with Henry coming off of injury. But don’t hand-wave Ryan Tannehill away, especially with Robert Woods and rookie Treylon Burks now in the fold.
Defensively, Tennessee will undoubtedly be looking for more from their young corner duo of Caleb Farley and Kristian Fulton, who played only two games together in 2021. A pass-rushing duo of Harold Landry and Bud Dupree could also make waves if both players are on their game. Free safety Kevin Byard remains one of the league’s best as well. Expect this to be a close game, much like the 23-20 Titans victory back in 2019.
7. San Francisco 49ers
Despite questions at quarterback and about the future of Deebo Samuel, don’t forget that this is a team that made the NFC Championship a season ago. The biggest departure from that roster has been Laken Tomlinson, and that hole at left guard remains unfilled as of today. The biggest variable will be whether it’s Jimmy Garoppolo or Trey Lance at quarterback. If it’s Garoppolo, it’ll be more dinking and dunking, so expect the emphasis on the Chargers’ end to be on limiting yards after the catch. If it’s Lance, more big-play options will be available, but disguising coverages and preying on his aggressiveness will be the game plan.
On defense, it’s a formidable line with Dee Ford, Javon Kinlaw, Arik Armstead, and Nick Bosa, which means whoever starts at right tackle will have to have a sterling performance to keep Herbert clean. With enough time to throw, it’s a theoretically exploitable secondary. On the ground, keeping Fred Warner away from the play will be the biggest key to spring Austin Ekeler free.
6. Cleveland Browns
This really comes down to whether or not Deshaun Watson is going to play, as the league still hasn’t decided on a possible suspension stemming from the ongoing civil lawsuits against him. With Watson, the Browns are a formidable offense. Amari Cooper is among the league’s best, Donovan Peoples-Jones has improved in every season, and tight end David Njoku is a solid option over the middle. A tackle duo of Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin will give Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack one of their tougher games of the season. Of course, there’s also the RB room, led by Nick Chubb with Kareem Hunt and D’Ernest Johnson waiting in the wings. Stopping such a potent attack will be necessary regardless of Watson’s status, but it’ll be the overwhelming priority if someone else is taking snaps.
Expect Myles Garrett to line up over right tackle, no matter who wins the job for the Chargers. The interior of the defensive line is the Browns’ weakest point, so perhaps this game will have to include a heavy dose of Austin Ekeler and Isaiah Spiller. With Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome holding things down at corner, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah lurking, and Grant Delpit over the top, the Browns are also one of the few teams with the defensive firepower to match up with LA’s weapons in the passing game.
5. Las Vegas Raiders
Yes, this is the first divisional opponent on the list, and no, this doesn’t mean the Raiders will be an easy out. Adding Davante Adams gives Derek Carr one of the best receiving trios in football between Adams, Darren Waller, and slot receiver Hunter Renfrow. Josh Jacobs will continue to pose problems to LA as long as he can stay healthy. Defensively, Vegas adds Chandler Jones, who is on the decline but still remains a formidable player off the edge opposite of Maxx Crosby. Rock Ya-Sin helps prop up a cornerback group that struggled last season as well.
Then, of course, there’s the atmosphere. Everyone knows that SoFi Stadium will host its fair share of Raider fans when LA gets their yearly home game, and the crowd will only get more raucous when the series heads to Vegas. This is a team that split their series with LA last season, knocked them out of the playoff race, and seems to have only gotten better on paper. I’m going to project another split this year.
4. Arizona Cardinals
This game will come after DeAndre Hopkins’ six-game suspension is up, which makes it more challenging. Marquise Brown adds the true speed threat that the Cardinals lost when Christian Kirk signed with the Jaguars. Rondale Moore had a productive season out of the slot as a rookie, Zach Ertz was rock-solid as always after being acquired midseason, AJ Green is still dangerous in the right circumstances, and second-round rookie Trey McBride will find his way onto the field sooner than later.
On paper, Justin Herbert should have a bit more time to throw against the Cardinals than in some of these other matchups. JJ Watt is still a threat, but the pass-rush production outside of him will have to come from a veteran stepping up, like Dennis Gardeck, or from a rookie outpacing their draft slot, like Myjai Sanders or Cameron Thomas. Byron Murphy will spend most of his time in the slot, which leaves both boundaries relatively exposed. Second-year Marco Wilson and NFL returnee Jeff Gladney seem like the favorites to take those roles.
3. Denver Broncos
Russell Wilson with a full complement of weapons from the 2021 Broncos season will be a sight to behold, assuming that Jerry Jeudy doesn’t face too many consequences for his recent arrest. If there’s anywhere to point to as a weakness for Denver, it’s the offensive line, where center and right tackle have been pain points in recent seasons. Getting aggressive with blitz packages while keeping Wilson contained will be key.
Defensively, Denver adds Randy Gregory and DJ Jones to replace Von Miller and Shelby Harris, meaning that the front line will remain stout as ever. Linebacker is the big hole – don’t be surprised if Ekeler replicates the 6 catches for 68 yards and a TD he had in November. The secondary of Pat Surtain II, Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson, and Ronald Darby is a formidable one, but Herbert has been able to navigate it with relative success in years past.
Ultimately, the series will come down to health. Both Denver and LA have stars with checkered injury histories, and whoever comes into their games healthier will have the upper hand.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
We’ll see how much firepower the Chiefs are truly losing by replacing Tyreek Hill with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and rookie Skyy Moore. While in a vacuum, none of those players are capable of being Tyreek, the sheer numbers game of it does pose a similar threat as in years past, when you could live with leaving the likes of Demarcus Robinson or Byron Pringle open. Everything else about Kansas City’s offense remains mostly the same, although they did add Ronald Jones to push Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the backfield.
The biggest changes on defense are both rookies: pass rusher George Karlaftis and cornerback Trent McDuffie, the latter of whom was a favorite in Chargers mock drafts this winter. Karlaftis gives Kansas City a legit option across from Frank Clark, while a corner tandem of McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed should help mask some of the issues from a season ago. Expect Leo Chenal to also push for playing time at linebacker over Jermaine Carter. Tyrann Mathieu has been replaced by Justin Reid, which I view as an upgrade despite the Honey Badger’s name-brand recognition.
1. Los Angeles Rams
How can the Super Bowl champs not be the toughest matchup on the schedule? For one, the team hasn’t lost a ton of contributors. Andrew Whitworth has retired, but Joe Noteboom should slide over from guard and maintain a capable presence. Sebastian Joseph-Day crossed enemy lines to become a Charger, but his injury last season gave way for a Greg Gaines breakout at nose tackle. Darious Williams got big money, so the Rams flipped a late-round pick to get Troy Hill back from the Browns. You still have to deal with Matthew Stafford, who by the way adds Allen Robinson to his list of receivers, and you still have to deal with Aaron Donald, who by the way gets to clear space for 6-time All-Pro Bobby Wagner at linebacker.
Second, it’s the battle for LA. Rams fans will pack SoFi Stadium. Under those primetime lights, with that pressure, against this team, I think it’s fair to say a matchup with the Rams will be the toughest one of the season for the Chargers.
