The easiest stretch on the LA Chargers schedule will let the team get hot early
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers schedule for the 2022 season has officially been released and the excitement around the Bolts' season is getting real. Tom Telesco and Brandon Staley have put together a really promising offseason and now we have a final idea of what the Bolts have to go through to make a Super Bowl run.
A potential deep playoff run will be foreshadowed by a tough slate of games to finish the 2022 season. Ending the season with a tough stretch, especially if successful, could propel the Chargers and give the team momentum in the playoffs.
Every tough stretch has an easy stretch to counteract it and the Chargers certainly have some easy games on the 2022 schedule. There is one stretch, though, that is undoubtedly the easiest stretch for the Bolts.
The easiest stretch of the Chargers schedule is from Week 3 to Week 5.
The Chargers start the season with two tough division games against the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. While the AFC West is loaded, the Bolts should be 1-1 at worst after these two games and quite frankly, could end up being 2-0 after Week 2.
A 2-0 start would be massive as it would carry over into the easiest stretch of the Chargers season, allowing the team to pick up more momentum and potentially have one of the best starts in the NFL. In Week 3, the Chargers will host the Jacksonville Jaguars in a game that the Bolts should undoubtedly win.
Not only are the Jaguars a bad East Coast team that has to travel all the way to California, but the Bolts have extra rest as they will be playing on Thursday the week before. Losing this game would be absurd for the Chargers.
Following up that game the Chargers have a revenge game on the road against the Houston Texans. Last season taught us that ugly losses against bad teams are always possible but losing that game last year should help this time around. There will still be that sting from last season, keeping this from being a trap game for the Bolts.
Finally, in Week 6 the Chargers will be on the road again to take on the Cleveland Browns. While the Browns are not an easy team to beat on the road, with this game coming in Week 6 there is an increased chance that the Chargers don't have to face Deshaun Watson.
The league is yet to decide whether or not Watson gets a suspension during its ongoing investigation. If Watson does get a suspension he will obviously serve it to start the season. So unless it is a four-game suspension or less, a suspension could lead to the Chargers playing Jacoby Brissett.
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This, in theory, could give the Chargers a 5-0 start heading into their first game against Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos. That game is in primetime at SoFi Stadium, so you have to like Justin Herbert's chances of balling out.