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          NFL Nation

          Los Angeles Chargers' schedule 2020: Chargers end with AFC West rush

          • Lindsey Thiry, ESPNMay 7, 2020, 08:28 PM ET
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              Lindsey Thiry is a national NFL reporter for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2018 to cover the Los Angeles Rams after two years of covering them for the Los Angeles Times, and has also covered the Chargers for ESPN. She previously covered the Atlanta Falcons. You can follow her on Twitter/X @LindseyThiry.

          The Los Angeles Chargers' schedule for 2020 was released Thursday.

          The regular season kicks off with the Houston Texans hosting the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, Sept. 10 (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). The opening doubleheader for Monday Night Football will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers at the New York Giants (7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN) and the Tennessee Titans at the Denver Broncos (10:20 p.m. ET) on Monday, Sept. 14.

          Check out the full week-by-week schedule here. Here's what's in store for the Chargers:

          Game-by-game prediction

          Chargers reporter Lindsey Thiry is predicting a 10-6 finish:

          Sept. 13: at Cincinnati, Win

          Sept. 20: vs. Kansas City, Loss

          Sept. 27: vs. Carolina, Win

          Oct. 4: at Tampa Bay, Loss

          Oct. 12: at New Orleans, Loss

          Oct. 18: vs. N.Y. Jets, Win

          Oct. 25: at Miami, Win

          Nov. 1: vs. Jacksonville, Win

          Nov. 8: vs. Las Vegas, Win

          Nov. 22: at Denver, Win

          Nov. 29: at Buffalo, Loss

          Dec. 6: vs. New England, Win

          Dec. 13: vs. Atlanta, Win

          Dec. 17: at Las Vegas, Loss

          Dec. 26 or 27: vs. Denver, Win

          Jan. 3: at Kansas City, Loss

          Strength of schedule: .492, 23rd

          Breakdown

          The Chargers open the season on the road facing the Bengals and No. 1 overall draft pick Joe Burrow, then must turn around for their SoFi Stadium debut to host Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, whom they won't play again until Week 17. In Weeks 4 and 5, the Chargers' defense will be tested against two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks when they travel to Tampa Bay to face Tom Brady, then to New Orleans to play against Drew Brees and the Saints. Weeks 6 through 8 are more than manageable as the Chargers face the Jets, Dolphins and Jaguars. They'll play the Raiders, then will continue division play at Denver after a bye week. The Chargers then play a trio of games outside the division before ending their season with a three-game stretch of division matchups, including their inaugural trip to Las Vegas in Week 15.

          The Kansas City measuring stick

          Throughout the offseason, the Chargers have mentioned their efforts to chase down the Chiefs. They will find out quickly, in Week 2, if their revamped roster is enough to keep up with, if not take down, the defending Super Bowl champions. It’s unlikely the Chargers will be up to the task at first, as they break in a new starting quarterback, either Tyrod Taylor or Justin Herbert; however, they will undoubtedly see how much of a gap must be closed with the Chiefs. The opportunity to play them again in Week 17 will show if a season's worth of work has allowed the Chargers to compete on the same level as the four-time defending division champions.

          Rookie QBs galore

          Chargers coach Anthony Lynn has said that Taylor is in the driver's seat to win the starting quarterback job but has continued to mention that Herbert, whom the Chargers selected with the No. 6 overall pick, will be competing for the spot. It seems an outside chance that the rookie will win the job, but if he does, it could set up two intriguing matchups between the top quarterbacks selected in the 2020 draft. In Week 1, the Chargers play the Bengals, who are expected to start Burrow, the top overall pick in the draft. In Week 7, the Chargers play at Miami, where rookie Tua Tagovailoa, the No. 5 overall pick, could win the starting job.