We’re just a few months away from the start of the 2025 NFL regular season. The schedules are all finalized, and the Chargers‘ is considered middle of the road in terms of difficulty.
They have the 15th-easiest schedule, featuring a nice blend of tough and favorable opponents.
Let’s rank all of the Bolts’ 14 opponents for the upcoming season from toughest to easiest.
It’s never easy facing Patrick Mahomes and company twice a year. Although they showed signs of regression last year, they still managed to reach the Super Bowl. As long as Mahomes is still the quarterback and Andy Reid is the head coach, Kansas City will remain a force to be reckoned with. The Chargers open the season with the Chiefs in Brazil.
The defending Super Bowl champs could have been No. 1 here. They did lose some talent from last year’s team, but it’s still a loaded roster. The two will face off in Week 14 on Monday Night Football in Los Angeles.
Another NFC East team, the Commanders, are legitimate Super Bowl contenders this year. It’s Year 2 for Jayden Daniels, who has already established himself as a superstar. They added some additional pieces and will be a good test for the Chargers in Week 5.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings’ 2024 season ended in disappointing fashion, but they still have the core pieces in place to be very good once again this year. It all falls on rookie J.J. McCarthy and how quickly he catches up to game speed. Once again, the Chargers will play this game at home instead of facing them in a difficult environment in Minnesota.
C.J. Stroud had a bit of a sophomore slump in 2024, but look for him to bounce back in a big way. The Texans ended the Chargers’ season in a big way last year, so Los Angeles will be looking for some revenge in this late-season matchup.
The Chargers and Broncos always have good divisional battles. Los Angeles swept Denver in 2024, and these two sides are evenly matched again this year. They will face off in Week 3 and then again in Week 18 to end the season.
The Colts have a decent roster, but it all depends on the performance at the quarterback position. Anthony Richardson has been too inconsistent in his NFL career, and it may be his last year to show that he can be the guy. Jonathan Taylor remains one of the best tailbacks in the NFL, though.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins took a major step back in 2024, and this may be their last chance to make something of this core of players. Tyreek Hill still possesses intimidating speed, but he doesn’t seem to be the complete product that he once was.
Was there a more disappointing team than the Cowboys in 2024? They were downright terrible, and if that happens again, they may go through a total rebuild. They acquired wideout George Pickens this offseason to form a lethal duo with superstar CeeDee Lamb. We’ll see if that’s enough to bring them back to relevance.
In some ways, the AFC West rival could be an intriguing squad this year. Geno Smith is a significant upgrade at quarterback from what they’ve had in the past, but he still doesn’t put them into playoff contention. They did add running back Ashton Jeanty in the draft, who had one of the best collegiate seasons ever in 2024.
Another year in which the Steelers have a question mark at quarterback. Their defense should be solid once again, per usual, but will Aaron Rodgers be enough for them to be above-average on offense? Time will tell, but it seems they are headed for another mediocre campaign.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars fell off a cliff in 2024, but they added polarizing prospect Travis Hunter in the draft. They still have the talent to compete, but a lot of it falls on whether Trevor Lawrence can finally live up to the hype.
New York Giants
Who will the Giants’ quarterback be when the two sides face off in Week 4? No one knows, as there are three legitimate options. Brian Daboll got to keep his job, but he will have to do a stellar job in 2025 in order to hold onto it again.
Tennessee Titans
By Week 9, rookie Cam Ward should be caught up to NFL game speed. The No. 1 overall pick has already earned rave reviews from the Titans coaching staff, and that will be an intriguing midseason matchup for the Chargers.