The 2021 LA Chargers schedule is officially here! And of course, the team’s social media team absolutely killed it when announcing the 17 games slated for the 2021 season.
should we REALLY make our schedule release video a powerpoint?
yes yes yesyesyesyes yes yes yesyes yes yes yes yesyes yesyes yes yesyes yesye yes yesyes yes yesyes pic.twitter.com/ePBMGFNJz1
— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) May 12, 2021
In what has become a tradition here at Bolt Beat, here are some way-too-early game-by-game predictions for the 2021 season. If these are all right be sure to come back to this article and call me a genius. If not, let’s just pretend like this never happened.
LA Chargers schedule prediction, Weeks 1-3:
Week 1 at Washington Football Team: 23-14
This is going to be a much tougher game than some people give credit. The Washington Football Team has one of the scariest defenses in the league and this is a brand-new offensive line that is going to have to figure it out quickly.
However, we could also spin it and argue that the offensive line will be fresh. The grind of the season will not yet be set in, and as long as they get through camp healthy, they will be ready to make an impact.
Washington’s offense won’t be able to keep up with the Bolts in crunchtime and Brandon Staley’s new defense will shine with Washington not truly knowing what to expect.
23-14, LA Chargers
Week 2 vs. Dallas Cowboys
This is going to be a shootout. The Dallas Cowboys, even with the addition of Micah Parsons, do not have a great defense but are going to have one of the best offenses in the league with Dak Prescott back under center.
If this team is really different from previous years with special teams and situational effectiveness then they win this game. This is a game that Anthony Lynn’s Chargers would lose. But Brandon Staley’s Chargers? We are hopeful.
31-28, LA Chargers
Week 3 at Kansas City Chiefs
I want to believe that the Chargers will beat the Chiefs in Week 3, I really do. But it is going to be hard to keep up with two solid offensive teams two weeks in a row. Kansas City will do just enough to beat the Chargers at home, but the Bolts will send a statement in the process.
Justin Herbert will tie the game late in the fourth quarter but will leave Patrick Mahomes enough time to go down and score the game-winning touchdown.
27-20, Kansas City Chiefs
LA Chargers’ record thus far: 2-1
LA Chargers schedule prediction, Weeks 4-6:
Week 4 vs. Las Vegas Raiders (MNF)
This is going to be a fun one. SoFi Stadium under the lights on Monday Night Football (with Chargers fans, not Rams fans) for the first time. The Chargers and Raiders are going to play two close football games in 2021 and this one is not going to be the big offensive day that you want from Justin Herbert.
Former Chargers defensive coordinator Gus Bradley will slow Herbert down but Brandon Staley’s defense will be able to stifle Derek Carr as they target Darren Waller with Derwin James. It’s close, but the Chargers pull away with the victory on primetime.
21-16 LA Chargers
Week 5 vs. Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are an interesting team. Last year they were a bit of fool’s gold, making the playoffs despite having a -11 point differential on the season. However, they then went in and stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers and played the Kansas City Chiefs really tough.
The team has made great additions to the defensive side of the football and has a great run game. I am not sure if it will hold up all year, quite frankly, but they do what they need to do in this game to keep Justin Herbert off the field and the offense at bay, winning it in overtime.
20-17 (OT), Cleveland Browns
Week 6 at Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are probably the most disrespected Super Bowl contender in the league. All it took was a few bad weeks and NFL pundits were already ready to give up on Lamar Jackson and this offense after Jackson won the MVP the year prior.
Do the Ravens need to add more passing in order to fight off redundancy and beat teams in the playoffs? Yes. Is it still an effective offensive style to play, particularly early in the season? Also, yes.
The Chargers and Ravens battle in the game of the week. Justin Herbert and the offense get a chance to tie the game down eight on the road but fall short in field-goal range.
35-27, Baltimore Ravens
LA Chargers’ record thus far: 3-3
LA Chargers schedule prediction, Weeks 7-9:
Week 7: BYE
The LA Chargers host a Madden tournament and Derwin James dominates.
Week 8 vs. New England Patriots
Can anyone say revenge?
Look, it might be a bold thing to predict a double-digit win over a team that beat you by 45 points last season but that is exactly what I am doing. The Chargers were embarrassed last year by the Patriots and you know that is going to fire the players up in a way we have not seen.
MUST-SEE: Justin Herbert looks jacked in Instagram video
The team gets an entire week to gameplan with the bye and this is not Anthony Lynn’s Chargers. The 45-0 result was because of the coaching disparity, and while Staley has not had one game as a head coach, I am banking on him being better than Lynn.
Justin Herbert can read NFL defenses better in year two and the defense capitalizes with some big turnovers off of Cam Newton/Mac Jones. Chargers by 16.
33-17, LA Chargers
Week 9 at Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are not going to be a great football team in 2021 (sorry, Alex). That being said, I can totally see this game being way closer than it should be after the Chargers had such a big win over the Patriots.
On the road, hostile environment and frigid temperatures will contribute to what will be a “come back down to earth” game. At the end of the day, though, I just can’t see Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense doing much damage to this defense, assuming it is what we hope it is.
Chargers win it with a late field goal.
17-14, LA Chargers
LA Chargers’ record thus far: 5-3
LA Chargers schedule prediction, Weeks 10-12:
Week 10 vs. Minnesota Vikings:
Biggest win of the year alert.
Look, I have gotten in some debates with fans of the Minnesota Vikings and let me tell you: they are passionate. Nobody calls me an idiot better than a Minnesotian; which is surprising, considering the Vikings had the same record as the Chargers last season and also have never won a Super Bowl… but I digress.
I respect the Vikings and I actually rate Kirk Cousins higher than most NFL pundits do. At the end of the day, though, you cannot tell me that signing a regressing veteran in Patrick Peterson is going to be a big difference for a defense that was terrible last year.
This is Justin Herbert’s best game of the season. The Vikings fall behind early and are forced to throw the ball, which helps reduce the threat of Dalvin Cook for the Chargers.
41-23 LA Chargers
Week 11 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
I am not very high on the Pittsburgh Steelers. The defense will keep them around .500 this season but I just cannot see how this offense is going to last an entire season. Big Ben is old, just had elbow surgery and was notably regressing as the year went along last season.
Quite frankly, he is the one holding him back.
They did not draft well in the first round (I am team never take a running back in the first 30 picks) and that offensive line is horrid. A regressing old quarterback behind a terrible offensive line? Philip Rivers was more talented in 2019 than Big Ben will be in 2021 and we saw how that went for the Chargers.
The Pittsburgh defense keeps this close on primetime and the Chargers win a frustrating game in overtime with a walk-off touchdown.
19-13 (OT), LA Chargers
Week 12 at Denver Broncos
You never win every single game that you are supposed to and after a hard-fought overtime victory on Sunday Night Football the Chargers drop a game against the Denver Broncos on the road.
By this time Teddy Bridgewater should be starting for Denver and he will game-manage his way, with a strong defensive effort and the home crowd behind him, to a narrow victory.
24-20, Denver Broncos
LA Chargers’ record thus far: 7-4
LA Chargers schedule prediction, Weeks 13-15:
Week 13 at Cincinnati Bengals:
Again, you never win every single game that you are supposed to and the Chargers are likely going to have a losing streak in the 2021 season. This is the second losing streak, as they dropped two in a row to the Browns and Ravens earlier in this prediction.
Joe Burrow wants revenge for the game last year and at this point in the year, he too has figured out NFL defenses and is firing on all cylinders.
Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert go to battle in one of the best games of the year but Burrow’s Bengals get the ball last and as the old saying goes: last score wins.
28-27, Cincinnati Bengals
Week 14 vs. New York Giants
Daniel Jones stinks. That is all I really have to say about this one. The New York Giants have a sneaky good defense that will do its best to limit the Chargers but turnovers from Jones will haunt the team as it is forced to travel across the country to play the Chargers.
We will be talking about who the Giants are going to draft at this point of the season.
27-17, LA Chargers
Week 15 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
I want to believe that the Chargers will split with the Kansas City Chiefs and I know it is an easy and popular prediction to have but I just do not see it. The Chiefs went 15-1 last season and if they had any semblance of an offensive line would have been the Super Bowl Champions yet again.
The Chargers are getting better. They push Kansas City to their limit each and every time they play them. The problem here is that Patrick Mahomes gets the ball first in overtime and the Chargers don’t have a chance to answer.
30-24 (OT), Kansas City Chiefs
LA Chargers’ record thus far: 8-6
LA Chargers schedule prediction, Weeks 16-18:
Week 16 at Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are not a good football team. I would be shocked if Deshaun Watson is playing this game and even if he is it isn’t like they were very good last year. The Bolts will likely see Tyrod Taylor in this one, who won’t make many mistakes to lead to 20 points scored while Justin Herbert balls out and attacks a poor defense.
This is part of a really easy finish to the season for the Chargers that will (hopefully) catapult them into the NFL Playoffs.
34-20, LA Chargers
Week 17 vs. Denver Broncos
The Broncos beat the Chargers once in this prediction, but not again. The Bolts are at home this time and it is the defense that wins the ballgame. Teddy B can’t get anything going and the Chargers frustratingly start slow, but come back with a strong second half to win.
20-10, LA Chargers
Week 18 at Las Vegas Raiders
Just like the first game, this is a really close and entertaining game that comes down to the final possession. The Chargers will be battling for a playoff spot while the Raiders will likely just be trying to play spoiler.
I know they had a stretch where they looked really good last year and I am higher on Derek Carr than most but I just cannot get behind Jon Gruden. It was a bad hire then and it is still a bad hire.
Chargers win via a game-winning drive from Justin Herbert, becoming the signature moment of his career thus far as it clinches a playoff berth.
29-24, LA Chargers
LA Chargers’ final record prediction: 11-6
I like to think I am modest with my predictions. Last year I had the Chargers going 8-8 when a lot of people had them winning 10 games and the team wound up going 7-9. The absolute ceiling for this team would be a 12-5 season, while I think the absolute floor is 9-8 if they lose some of the close games I predicted.
Realistically, I think we are looking at a 10/11-win team. My predictions have the Chargers scoring 25.3 points per game while allowing 21.2 points per game. Those numbers would have ranked 15th and seventh last year, respectively.