Breaking Down the 2024 Los Angeles Chargers Schedule’s Toughest Stretches, Key Matchups & Burning Questions

Regardless of how this schedule landed, the Chargers were going to have a distinct advantage based on the strength of the schedule alone.

Based on the 2023 winning percentage the Chargers have the sixth easiest schedule. Their opponents have a collective .478 winning percentage, or if they were one team they would have had a 8-9 season in 2023.

The Chargers have the second easiest schedule based on Vegas’ forecasted win totals. This is true even though the Chargers play the Kansas City Chiefs, who have the highest forecasted win total in the league.

Week 1 Test of Rebuilt Teams

It is fitting for the overhauled Chargers would face off against the opponent that sealed the fates of Tom Telesco and Brandon Staley, indirectly leading to the hiring of Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz among myriad other moves. Not only that but Telesco will be forced to return to his old stomping grounds for his first official game as Raiders GM.

The Chargers have won the last three matchups against the Raiders when they have played at SoFi, but they have split the last three season series with their AFC West foe.

Both teams saw significant changes to their front offices, coaching staff, and roster this offseason, so this game will serve as a good barometer for how their respective seasons will play out.

Opponents Facing Changes

The Raiders aren’t the only team the Chargers will face that has undergone significant changes on the field and in the front office. 10 of the 14 teams they play made a change at head coach, offensive coordinator, or defensive coordinator. Five of those have gone through a full rebuild at the top three spots of their coaching staff.

The New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, and Las Vegas Raiders have all swapped out their coaching staff and quarterbacks. Pittsburgh Steelers brought in Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator and Russell Wilson. They will also likely play against two rookie quarterbacks, Bo Nix with the Denver Broncos and Drake Maye with the Patriots.

Early Bye Week

The Chargers Week 5 bye is the earliest of all the season. This works against them strategically and also in managing injuries heading into a potential playoff run.

Frequent Flyer Miles

The Los Angeles Chargers will travel the most miles of any team in the league. They will travel 26,803 miles across 36 time zones over the 2024 season. They will play five road games in the Eastern time zone, only one in the Pacific, one in the Central, and two in the Mountain.

They will face four different instances of back-to-back road games, which only adds to the milage. The side benefit of that is they also have multiple home stands, including three home games in Weeks 10-12. They also don’t play on a Thursday night, giving them the benefit of not having to play on a large rest deficit.

Some teams have opted to stay and practice at a remote location when facing back-to-back road games. It isn’t clear at this time if Jim Harbaugh will employ this strategy.