6 teams the Chargers have the best record against in franchise history
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers have had a lot of ups and downs in franchise history with several really great seasons and a lot of horrible seasons. As it stands heading into the 2023 season, the Bolts are actually above .500 as a franchise with a 478-477-11 all-time record.
The Bolts are also nearly split down the middle in the teams they have a winning record against. Los Angeles has a lifetime winning record against 15 of the 32 teams currently in the league.
That is not to say that the Bolts haven't had success against certain teams in the NFL. There are several teams that the Chargers have dominated in franchise history, even if the sample size is relatively small for some of the matchups.
6 teams that the Chargers have the best record against:
6. Houston Texans; 6-3 (.667)
The Chargers won the last matchup against Houston in 2022 but the game that every fan remembers is the 2021 loss. Los Angeles fell in embarrassing fashion to the Texans late in the 2021 season and without that sad loss, the team would have made the playoffs. The Chargers are 1-2 against Houston since moving to LA.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers; 8-4 (.667)
Los Angeles has the same winning percentage against the Buccaneers as the Texans but with more wins against the Bucs, they rank higher on this list. Most of these wins came early on in this matchup as the Chargers won the first six games in franchise history against Tampa.
The last time these two teams played was in 2020 and it was a classic Chargers loss. Despite having the lead and even recording a pick-six against Tom Brady, LA needed a rookie Justin Herbert to execute a two-minute drive on the road and he swiftly threw an interception.
4. Cleveland Browns; 19-9-1 (.672)
The last two games against the Cleveland Browns have been very interesting. In 2021 they won an absolute slugfest that established Brandon Staley's aggression in the league. In 2022, Staley was once again aggressive, made a needless mistake, and nearly handed the Browns the win if it was not for a missed game-winning field goal.
While the Chargers have a great record against Cleveland and have won four in a row, there is still the disastrous 2016 game that every fan remembers. On Christmas Eve, the Chargers would give the Browns their only win in a two-year span, losing 20-17.
3. Buffalo Bills; 24-11-2 (.676)
There were many years there were the Buffalo Bills were a bad football team and the Chargers took advantage. That is no longer the case with Josh Allen under center as the Bolts will have their hands full in 2023 when these two teams played.
The Chargers lost to Allen the last time these two teams squared off in 2021. That broke a four-game winning streak for the Chargers that dated back a decade.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars; 9-4 (.692)
This inclusion stings as the Chargers lost to the Jaguars twice in 2022 and both were in ugly fashion. With Justin Herbert's rib injury still fresh, the Jaguars absolutely pummeled the Chargers in Week 3 in what was the most embarrassing game of the season.
Months later, the Chargers held a 27-0 lead on the road in the AFC Wild Card Round only to blow it away in epic proportions. At least the Chargers can say they have the better head-to-head record as they won six games in a row against the Jags from 2010 through 2016.
1. Arizona Cardinals; 11-4 (.733)
The Arizona Cardinals' win in 2022 might have saved Brandon Staley's job. After falling behind because of silly mistakes, the Bolts were able to claw back into the game on the road against the Cardinals. Instead of taking the tie and heading to overtime, Staley decided to go for two and the win.
Arizona has not beaten the Bolts since they moved to LA as the last matchup was a 45-10 beatdown in 2018. Most of the games have not even been close, either, as the Chargers have a +73 point differential in the last six matchups against the Cards.