The 2024 NFL season schedules are set to be released this week, finally revealing who will face who and when. It's expected to be a big season for many teams, including the Chargers, who are one of many with a new head coach and several significant changes to their roster.
Because of those changes, the season ahead will inevitably be a bit more exciting. With so many unknowns but a lot of optimism under Jim Harbaugh, the fate of the Chargers is more unknown this year than previous seasons.
They had a more successful offseason than anticipated, with a solid hiring of new staff and an exciting draft class to (slightly) make up for a questionable free agency, so the season ahead doesn't look as bleak.
Although we don't know when they'll play their opponents yet, we do know who they will be playing, which makes it easy to put together the most exciting Week 1 matchups to kick off the regular season.
These are the four most desirable games we'd like to see.
4 most exciting matchups for the LA Chargers in Week 1
1. vs. Baltimore Ravens (Harbaugh Bowl)
This one had to be obvious, right?
It has been a long time since we've seen the Harbaugh brothers' teams battle it out on an NFL field, and the last time they matched up, it was one for the books. Who could forget their infamous Super Bowl XLVII when the power went out in the middle of the game?
It's a story that the NFL could only dream of seeing again and will promote this matchup like there's no tomorrow. But there's a lot of underlying interesting factors of the game that goes beyond who will be coaching on the sidelines.
The Chargers are a completely revamped team, seeing more organizational changes than just the new staff. The roster drastically differs from one year ago, particularly with Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler, and Mike Williams all playing for new teams in 2024.
Justin Herbert will have a variety of new weapons to work with, which will inevitably make the Ravens' defense more interesting to watch. They're coming off a season that ended with a devastating loss in the AFC Championship against the now three time Super Bowl Champion Chiefs.
Surely, John will want to start the new season with a bang, and what better way to do that than to beat your brother in his first game back in the NFL since 2015? Hopefully, that's not the Chargers' fate, but all the hype around this game would make it a great kickoff to the new season.
Update: The NFL announced the opening game of the 2024 season will be Ravens vs. Chiefs on Thursday Night Football