The 2020 LA Chargers schedule has been officially released and we now know when the Chargers are going to play each of their opponents as well as what day, with the team snagging two primetime games in the season.
The 2020 season is an intriguing one for the Chargers as they are playing teams that they don’t play often — the teams in the NFC South and AFC East.
For those unfamiliar, the way that the NFL schedule works is every year certain divisions are pinned against each other. Every year, the AFC West plays two other divisions, one AFC and one NFC, so all teams in the AFC West are playing all teams in the NFC South and AFC East.
With six divisional games, that account for 14 games. The other two games are based on the previous year’s standings. Since the Chargers finished in last in the AFC West, they play the two last-place teams from the other two divisions in the AFC, this year being the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars.
We decided to break down the team’s historical record against each non-divisional opponent in 2020.
LA Chargers’ history vs. 2020 non-divisional opponents:
Cincinnati Bengals:
- All-time record: 21-15-0
- Last meeting: 2018 Week 14 (26-21 victory)
The LA Chargers open the season against the Cincinnati Bengals on the road and this game is going to be an intriguing one for all NFL fans as it is going to be the first game of Joe Burrow’s career. It sucks for him that he has to come up against a defense as versatile as the Chargers.
The Chargers have gotten the best of the historical matchup against the Bengals and even had a playoff win over the team in 2014. Their last meeting came in 2018 and the Bengals almost won that game, which would have derailed the then small hopes that the Chargers could steal the AFC West from the Chiefs.
With under two minutes left and down by eight, the Bengals scored a touchdown and went to tie the game with the two-point conversion. Back-up quarterback Jeff Driscoll was sacked on the two-point conversion, the Chargers went on to kick a 45-yard field goal and the Bengals’ last-ditch efforts came up short.
Jacksonville Jaguars:
- All-time record: 8-3-0
- Last meeting: 2019 Week 14 (45-10 victory)
The Jacksonville Jaguars gave the Chargers their best win of the season last year and it was the only game where the Chargers definitively won. It was a fun game to watch but also painful as it reminded Charger fans how good the team should have been if they didn’t stab themselves in the foot.
Historically, the Chargers have dominated this matchup, especially in recent years. The Chargers are 7-1 against the Jags since 2010 and with the Jags projecting to be one of the worst teams in the league, the Bolts should be able to move to a lifetime 9-3-0.