Chargers 2024 NFL Schedule Released for Jim Harbaugh's 1st Year with Justin Herbert

Jim Harbaugh now knows exactly what he will face during his first season as the Los Angeles Chargers head coach.

Harbaugh's return to the NFL and his new partnership with star quarterback Justin Herbert will be one of the biggest storylines of the 2024 season, especially since he is attempting to lead the Chargers to an AFC West title in the same division that features Patrick Mahomes and the reigning-champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Here is a look at the schedule the Chargers will attempt to navigate in their new coach's first year.

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2024 Los Angeles Chargers Schedule

Full schedule information available on the team's official website.

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Analysis

All eyes will be on the head coach's return to the NFL, but he has a track record of success.

He won the College Football Playoff national championship with Michigan this past season and also was an NFC champion during his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers. He coached the 49ers to a 44-19-1 record and that one Super Bowl appearance during his four seasons from 2011 to 2014 and will be looking for similar success with the Chargers.

While Harbaugh generated many of the headlines this offseason, Los Angeles will look much different on the field as well.

Herbert is still under center, but gone are running back Austin Ekeler (Washington Commanders), wide receivers Keenan Allen (Chicago Bears) and Mike Williams (New York Jets), and tight end Gerald Everett (Bears). That is plenty of firepower, but changes needed to be made for salary-cap reasons.

But they also needed something of a refresh considering they were just 5-12 last season, and Harbaugh's physical approach to the game should provide just that.

Herbert is still the focal point of the offense, but the running back room will look quite different with J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Dobbins has dealt with injury concerns throughout his career, but he has the potential to be an explosive playmaker if he is healthy and on the field.

Rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey joins returnees Quentin Johnston and Joshua Palmer on the outside, while pass-rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack will anchor the defense.

That group will face a schedule that is fairly manageable even with some challenges.

Los Angeles and the rest of the AFC West will face the AFC North in 2024, which means matchups with arguably the best division in football. Every team in the AFC North finished with a winning record last season, and there are multiple potential Super Bowl contenders from the group of the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.

Yet the Chargers' last-place schedule also means winnable games against the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots.

They also face the NFC South, which didn't have a single team finish with a record better than 9-8 last year. Throw in an additional cross-conference game against the Arizona Cardinals coming off a 4-13 campaign, and Harbaugh's team can stack some wins outside of those AFC North showdowns.

Even the divisional games might not be too difficult, as the Chiefs were the only team in the AFC West to finish above .500 last season.

There are wins to be had for the Chargers, especially if Herbert plays at an elevated level.

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Pivotal Matchups

It might be too much to ask in Harbaugh's first year for Los Angeles to top the Chiefs in the division, which makes it all the more important the team puts itself in a wild-card position.

That means outlasting the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos inside the division.

The games against Las Vegas and Denver stand out because of the battle for positioning inside the AFC West. But they are also particularly important for the Chargers because they are more winnable than the ones against Kansas City, and every win will be critical for a team looking to improve from a 5-12 mark.

Wild-card positioning will come down to more than just the division games, though, and the AFC North battles against the Bengals, Browns and Steelers in particular stand out.

After all, Cleveland and Pittsburgh were wild-card teams last season, while Cincinnati figures to be a contender again with the return of a healthy Joe Burrow. Figuring out a way to at least earn one or two head-to-head tiebreakers in these ones will be important for the Chargers.

And then there is the Harbaugh bowl.

Los Angeles plays Baltimore this season, which means the new Chargers coach will face his brother, John. John Harbaugh earned bragging rights when his Ravens defeated his brother's 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, but Jim will look for some revenge in an important AFC battle this season.