The Chargers’ revamped defense will be tested early in the 2022 regular season against new AFC West offenses.
Chargers coach Brandon Staley will also be able to showcase his new star defenders, Khalil Mack and JC Jackson, with five games in prime time this season.
The Chargers will open the new season at home against the Los Vegas Raiders on Sept. 11 before traveling to Kansas City four days later for a Week 2 “Thursday Night Football” matchup. The league announced the Chargers’ full 2022 schedule. Thursday.
The Chargers’ first matchup against new Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson will be in Week 6 at SoFi Stadium for “Monday Night Football” on Oct. 17.
Los Angeles’ matchup against the Super Bowl champion Rams will be on January 1 with the Chargers as the home team during the “Sunday Night Football” matchup in week 17. The Chargers also have prime-time games against the San Francisco 49ers. in week 10 for “Sunday Night Football” and against the Indianapolis Colts in week 16 for “Monday Night Football”.
After two division games to open the season, the Chargers return to SoFi Stadium against the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 25 before two straight road games against the Houston Texans on October 2 and the Cleveland Browns on October 9.
The Chargers will get a bye week in Week 8 and play the Atlanta Falcons on the road in Week 9 before facing a challenge in the back half of the 2022 schedule. The Chargers’ final nine games of the season will be against the 49ers, Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, Colts, Rams and Broncos — all teams that appear to be postseason contenders, including six that made the playoffs in 2021.
But the Chargers were already expecting a tough schedule after the gains the Raiders and Broncos made in the division to compete with the Chiefs, the six-time reigning AFC West champions.
The Chargers took steps forward last season in Staley’s first season as head coach, but fell short after a heartbreaking loss to the Raiders in Week 18 kept them out of the playoffs. Chargers defenders have expressed disappointment in that exciting game multiple times this offseason.
Cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. said he has a love-hate relationship with the exciting finale of the regular season. Linebacker Drue Tranquill said he let down his offensive teammates in Las Vegas. The Chargers won’t have to wait long to close out the Raiders first on the schedule.
“After the loss to the Raiders, I really felt, personally, and I know a lot of people on the defensive end of the ball felt that we could have played a lot better and given our offense more opportunities,” Tranquill said earlier this year. month. “They really, really played well, especially if you look at that Raiders game, what they were able to do coming from behind. They had a really special unit.
“To be able to add some of these additions (on defense) and improve in terms of personnel and to be able to add to our team is really cool.”
The Chargers’ revamped defense with Mack and Jackson will get a chance in Week 1 against the Raiders to make up for Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert and his offense.
There are plenty of intriguing storylines for the Chargers’ season opener, including Mack’s debut for the Chargers against his former team. Mack spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Raiders before being traded to the Chicago Bears in 2018. Mack was traded again after Chicago sent him to Los Angeles to meet with Staley.
Jackson, the Chargers’ free-agent prize, will face the Raiders’ new star receiver, Davante Adams, who was traded by the Green Bay Packers in the offseason.
“They better be ready for us,” Jackson said of the Raiders in March.
The Chargers made several defensive upgrades with the addition of defensive tackles Sebastian Joseph-Day, Austin Johnson and running back Kyle Van Noy. They also added to their offense through the draft with offensive shooting guard Zion Johnson and running back Isaiah Spiller.
But every NFL team thinks they got better this offseason. The Chargers will test themselves early to prove they’re more than hype in 2022, and there’s no better way to do that than to start against the team that ended their playoff hopes last season.
“We fought to the end and saw the potential of our team, but we still didn’t come out victorious in that game,” said Samuel. “But I saw the potential of that game, of what we can do and what we have on this team.”
CHARGERS PRE-SEASON SCHEDULE
August 13: Rams, 7 p.m., CBS
August 20: Dallas, 7 p.m., CBS
TBD: In New Orleans, TBD, CBS
CHARGERS REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
All games are on Sundays unless otherwise noted; Kickoffs listed in Pacific Time; * means subject to change.
September 11: Las Vegas, 1:25 p.m., CBS
September 15 (Thursday): in Kansas City, 5:15 p.m., Prime Video
September 25: Jacksonville, 1:05 p.m., CBS
October 2: in Houston, 10 a.m., CBS
October 9: in Cleveland, 10 a.m., CBS
Oct. 17 (Mon): Denver, 5:15 p.m., ESPN
October 23: Seattle, 1:25 p.m., FOX
GOODBYE WEEK
November 6: in Atlanta, 10 a.m., FOX
November 13: in San Francisco, 5:20 p.m., NBC*
November 20: Kansas City, 1:25 p.m., CBS
November 27: in Arizona, 1:05 p.m., CBS
December 4: in Las Vegas, 1:25 p.m., CBS
December 11: Miami, 1:05 p.m., CBS
December 18: Tennessee, 1:25 p.m., CBS
December 26 (Monday): at Indianapolis, 5:15 p.m., ESPN
January 1: Rams, 5:20 p.m., NBC*
January 7 or 8: in Denver, TBD, TBD
Reference-www.ocregister.com