Los Angeles Chargers’ 2018 opponents named

The Los Angeles Chargers’ 2018 opponents have been revealed.

As the Chargers fight for the final wild-card spot in the AFC, their 2018 home and away opponents have been named.

The Chargers will face their AFC West rivals (Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos) twice per usual. The Chiefs (9-6) clinched the AFC West for the second straight year. Meanwhile, the Raiders (6-9), who made the playoffs in 2016, have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Broncos (5-10) will finish with a losing record for the first time since 2010.

The Chargers’ five other home opponents: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.

The Ravens and Titans join the Chargers as three teams currently fighting to make the playoffs in the AFC. The Ravens have all but locked up the No. 5 seed; a win against Cincinnati gets them in. The Chargers, who need a win against the Raiders, need the Titans to lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars in order to clinch the No. 6 seed. The Titans (8-7) have lost their last three games and are one of the more overrated teams in the league. After starting their season 0-9, the 49ers are on the rise after Jimmy Garoppolo took over as the team’s starting quarterback. On the other hand, the Cardinals have question marks at the QB position. The Chargers will host a Marvin Lewis-less Bengals team, as Cincinnati’s 15-year head coach stated that he plans on leaving the team following the 2017 season.

Here are the Chargers’ five other away opponents: Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers. Four of those five teams are playoff contenders (have either clinched a spot or remain alive heading into Week 17). That other team is on the verge of going 0-16.

Of the Chargers’ 2018 home and away opponents (excluding division), they’ve faced two teams (Bills and Browns) in 2017, both of which were wins.

On paper, the Chargers’ schedule doesn’t appear to be too tough. Then again, it’s way too early to judge these teams. For example, everyone deemed the Cowboys Super Bowl contenders, and look what happened. The NFL is very unpredictable.