San Diego Chargers 2015 Schedule: Win-Loss Predictions for Every Game
The highly anticipated release of the 2015 schedule has NFL fans pumped for the start of a new year.
Fans of the San Diego Chargers, however, may not be as excited to see that six playoff teams from 2014 are on tap for the Bolts next season. And with this possibly being Philip Rivers' final year in a Chargers uniform, the desire to win a Super Bowl couldn't be greater. Additionally, this could be the last year for the team to deliver a championship to the city of San Diego, as rumors of a potential move to Los Angeles are heating up. The Associated Press reported early Wednesday morning that Carson's city council approved the proposed building of a $1.7 billion stadium to be shared by the Chargers and Oakland Raiders.
It's way too early to be predicting wins and losses without knowing how the rosters will turn out when the season officially starts, but here's a quick glance at some predictions if the season got underway today.
Week 1: Lions vs. Chargers
1 of 16
Date: September 13
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
The Chargers have lost two straight season openers with the possibility of a third going up against the 2014 season's second-ranked defense. The Detroit Lions parted ways with sacks leader Ndamukong Suh but managed to replace him with five-time Pro Bowler Haloti Ngata, who came over in a trade from Baltimore.
Also worth noting is the growth of quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was invited to his first Pro Bowl under the guidance of new head coach Jim Caldwell. Caldwell's expertise in grooming quarterbacks has been well documented through his work with Peyton Manning and Joe Flacco, so there is reason to believe Stafford may be joining the ranks of elite passers as early as next season.
Watching Rivers and Stafford duel it out will surely be entertaining, as offense is expected to dominate the afternoon. The much taller Calvin Johnson will challenge Brandon Flowers and Jason Verrett in the secondary, along with Golden Tate, who set personal bests during his first year in Detroit.
Prediction: Chargers 31, Lions 28
Week 2: Chargers vs. Bengals
2 of 16
Date: September 20
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
The Chargers return to the site of their last postseason win in a rematch of wild-card foes from 2014. The up-and-down play of quarterback Andy Dalton is troubling for the Cincinnati Bengals, but he remains their best option under center, having gone to the playoffs every year since he became the starter in 2011. On the bright side, running back Jeremy Hill far exceeded expectations as a second-round draft choice, rushing for well over 1,000 yards in his rookie year. There was plenty to like about Cincinnati's defense as well, which racked up 26 takeaways.
Dalton's previous encounter with the Chargers went horribly, as he was sacked three times and committed three turnovers, but the presence of a strong running game alters the outcome this time around.
Prediction: Bengals 28, Chargers 24
Week 3: Chargers vs. Vikings
3 of 16
Date: September 27
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Should he still be a member of the Minnesota Vikings next season, running back Adrian Peterson is in for a field day against a Chargers defense that yielded 4.5 yards a carry in 2014. Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater showed encouraging signs of being an efficient starter for the Vikings, and he could get better with Peterson taking some of the pressure off him. Everson Griffen, Minnesota's feared pass-rusher, will be a factor as well after a breakout year with 12 sacks last season.
If the Chargers can't put a lid on Peterson, he'll make them pay for it. This game has upset written all over it.
Prediction: Vikings 17, Chargers 14
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Week 4: Browns vs. Chargers
4 of 16
Date: October 4
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
The Cleveland Browns are worse off at quarterback than they were a year ago, with Brian Hoyer now in Houston and first-round draft pick Johnny Manziel struggling to get his life together away from football. For the time being, Josh McCown is the chosen one under center unless, of course, the Browns draft another quarterback. Cleveland has some interesting pieces to build around, but the lack of a franchise quarterback stalls any positive progress. San Diego takes this one decisively.
Prediction: Chargers 28, Browns 10
Week 5: Steelers vs. Chargers
5 of 16
Date: October 12
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
The first of two Monday night games at Qualcomm Stadium is no walk in the park for San Diego. The Pittsburgh Steelers witnessed the end of an era with the retirement of All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu and legendary defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau moving on to Tennessee, but the team once famously known for its defense has now transitioned into an offensive powerhouse. Pittsburgh averaged nearly 302 yards through the air last season and just over 27 points a game.
Unfortunately for San Diego, running back Le'Veon Bell will be back from his three-game suspension by this time, so the Chargers don't get a pass in that regard (Bell is appealing the suspension, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN). Wide receiver Antonio Brown is a matchup nightmare for whoever chooses to cover him. San Diego's defense tries frantically to slow down the Steelers but comes up short.
Prediction: Steelers 27, Chargers 21
Week 6: Chargers vs. Packers
6 of 16
Date: October 18
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
The Chargers make their first trek to Lambeau Field in eight years to take on the reigning MVP, Aaron Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers had the highest scoring offense in 2014, which remains intact after management convinced Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga to stay during the offseason. This is a marquee quarterback matchup, but that's really about it. The Packers have some holes to fill on defense, but their offense is too good to allow the Chargers to keep pace.
Prediction: Packers 34, Chargers 20
Week 8: Raiders vs. Chargers
7 of 16
Date: October 25
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
New Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio is familiar with the Chargers, having served as Broncos defensive coordinator for the past two seasons, so this rivalry will be nothing new for him. But can Del Rio's staff finally crack the code for the Silver and Black and get them back to being a competitive team? Time will tell. San Diego gets back on track after a rough two-game stretch against the Packers and Steelers.
Prediction: Chargers 19, Raiders 7
Week 8: Chargers vs. Ravens
8 of 16
Date: November 1
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
The Baltimore Ravens had the Chargers up against the ropes in the second half of last year's Nov. 30 matchup. Facing a 10-point deficit with just over six minutes remaining, Philip Rivers tossed a pair of touchdowns, including the game-winner to Eddie Royal with 38 seconds left in the game, to edge Baltimore 34-33. Joe Flacco loses one of his better receivers in Torrey Smith, but the Ravens are a still a very good team heading into 2015.
Baltimore proves too much for the Chargers, winning in clear-cut fashion.
Prediction: Ravens 28, Chargers 13
Week 9: Bears vs. Chargers
9 of 16
Date: November 9
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Chargers fans get a second helping of their team on Monday Night Football with the Chicago Bears coming to town. Eddie Royal makes his return to San Diego after previously serving three seasons with the Bolts. The Bears lost some offensive firepower when they traded Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets, but Royal intends to help them recoup some of that, having caught 15 touchdown passes during his final two seasons with the Chargers.
Whether or not Jay Cutler can stop turning the ball over decides if Chicago has a chance at putting together a winning season. In this case, however, San Diego claims a victory based on how poorly the Bears defense played in 2014.
Prediction: Chargers 31, Bears 27
Week 11: Chiefs vs. Chargers
10 of 16
Date: November 22
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
The Kansas City Chiefs swept the Chargers in 2014, dashing San Diego's postseason dreams in the last game of the season. But apart from the finale, the first loss in San Diego on Oct. 19 was crushing in its own regard. Nick Novak had tied the game at 20 with a field goal in the final two minutes, only to watch his rookie counterpart, Cairo Santos, kick the game-winner with 21 seconds remaining.
Jamaal Charles, as always, presents all sorts of trouble for the Chargers defense, and this year will be no different. New addition Jeremy Maclin will also test the coverage of Brandon Flowers and Jason Verrett.
San Diego avoids the sweep right out of the gate by stealing one in the closing minutes.
Prediction: Chargers 17, Chiefs 14
Week 12: Chargers vs. Jaguars
11 of 16
Date: November 29
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Having lost both Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead to injuries in the previous weeks, San Diego faced somewhat of an uphill battle against the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014.
But it turns out the Chargers really only needed Philip Rivers to make easy work of the Jags. Rivers took first-round rookie Blake Bortles to school with an outing that included 377 passing yards and three touchdowns. Bortles hopes to have a better showing against his counterpart, this time with a new weapon with whom the Chargers should be familiar, former Broncos tight end Julius Thomas.
Prediction: Chargers 31, Jaguars 24
Week 13: Broncos vs. Chargers
12 of 16
Date: December 6
Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Peyton Manning suffered a torn quad the last time he faced the Chargers, sources told ESPN's Schefter, which might have explained the rather pedestrian performance he manufactured at Qualcomm Stadium. In any case, he still came away the winning quarterback despite throwing only one touchdown pass. San Diego was denied the end zone until the fourth quarter, and by then it was already too late.
In what may be Manning's last visit to the Q, assuming the 39-year-old calls it quits after this season, the Chargers get one more opportunity to outsmart the future Hall of Famer in front of the home crowd.
Orlando Franklin, who joined the Bolts after four seasons with Denver, gets the W over his former team.
Prediction: Chargers 26, Broncos 24
Week 14: Chargers vs. Chiefs
13 of 16
Date: December 13
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
The Chargers were on the brink of a playoff berth when they last visited Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 28. All they needed was a win over the Kansas City Chiefs to reach the postseason for a second straight year, but Justin Houston made sure that wasn't about to happen by getting after Rivers for four sacks. Rivers was brought down seven times in all, and the Chiefs induced three turnovers en route to a 19-7 win in the season-finale.
San Diego was able to summon a victory in the first meeting, but not here.
Prediction: Chiefs 20, Chargers 13
Week 15: Dolphins vs. Chargers
14 of 16
Date: December 20
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
The Chargers will be itching to get back at the Dolphins for the embarrassing loss they suffered in Miami last season on Nov. 2, which saw the Bolts shut out for the first time since 1999. Rivers completed just 12 passes and was picked off three times in what was easily his worst outing of 2014.
Miami made the big splash in free agency, signing Ndamukong Suh to a fat contract in the offseason. He ought to make it a rough day for Rivers, but the Chargers end up giving the Dolphins a taste of their own medicine.
Prediction: Chargers 35, Dolphins 17
Week 16: Chargers vs. Raiders
15 of 16
Date: December 24
Time: 8:25 p.m. ET
TV: NFL Network
What better way to celebrate the joy of the holiday season than with a primetime game pitting two bitter rivals against each other, am I right?
The Chargers make their way into the Black Hole for the fourth and final nationally televised matchup on the schedule. Had it not been for a late interception by Jason Verrett in last year's Oct. 12 venture to O.co Coliseum, the Chargers may have been looking at overtime, or worse. Derek Carr torched the Bolts secondary for four passing touchdowns, but his one mistake led to the Raiders' downfall.
San Diego gets by, but not by a whole lot.
Prediction: Chargers 31, Raiders 28
Week 17: Chargers vs. Broncos
16 of 16
Date: January 3
Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
The Chargers march into Denver with a playoff spot possibly on the line in the closing game of the regular season. The Broncos are a tough out at home, but not invincible as illustrated by San Diego's 27-20 upset over them at Sports Authority Field only two years ago on Thursday Night Football. Still, Denver hasn't lost a finale since 2011, and Peyton Manning tends to rally the troops late in the year.
Prediction: Broncos 27, Chargers 24
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