The Chargers 2024 schedule was released Wednesday night.
And while the 17-game slate has intriguing matchups throughout the docket, the Chargers home schedule features plenty of notable storylines.
Here are five takeaways from Bolts 2024 home games at SoFi Stadium:
1. The Jim Harbaugh Era begins
You aren't wrong if it feels like the Chargers just opened the season at home against the Raiders.
The Bolts hosted Las Vegas in Week 1 in 2022, a 24-19 win that featured a strong defensive performance highlighted by 3.0 sacks from Khalil Mack.
Both teams look and feel much different than two years ago though, as Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh has brought a new energy and attitude to the Bolts.
Week 1 will be the debut for numerous new faces, with Joe Alt, Ladd McConkey, Gus Edwards and others donning powder blue for the first time.
The Chargers will look to continue a strong Week 1 trend against Las Vegas, too, as the Bolts have won their last four season openers against the Raiders.
2. Early statement against KC?
After three straight years of having to play the Chiefs at home in either the middle or end of the season, the Bolts welcome their biggest rival to SoFi Stadium in Week 4.
Let's be clear: the Chiefs are the team that the Chargers (and every other NFL team) are chasing. Kansas City has won back-to-back Super Bowls and claimed three championships in five seasons.
The Chargers surely want to put an end to the Chiefs run of eight straight AFC West titles, too, and also snap a lengthy home skid against Kansas City.
The best way to do that? Find a way to score an early-season win against the Chiefs.
Teams usually spend the first month of their season finding their identity. We should have a good barometer of the Bolts by the time September ends.
3. Titans turning point?
Another year, another matchup with the Titans, a team the Bolts will face for the third straight season.
But the timing of this game feels important, as the Week 10 matchup could be a turning point for the Chargers depending on their record.
With Week 10 marking the start of the second half of the season, a home win over Tennessee could help springboard the Chargers down the stretch.
The home team has won the last eight meetings between the teams, a trend the Bolts would love to continue in early November.
Take a detailed look at who the Bolts will face in the 2024 season!!
4. An AFC North gauntlet
Buckle up for these pair of home games.
If the Chargers enter mid-November in the playoff hunt, we'll get back-to-back tests against elite AFC squads to see how good they really are.
A Week 11 home game against the Bengals pits Justin Herbert against Joe Burrow in a matchup of top picks from the 2020 NFL Draft.
This game against Cincinnati should be a measuring stick for Jesse Minter's revamped defense.
The Week 12 primetime tilt against the Ravens on Monday Night Football might be the juiciest non-divisional game of the year.
Besides the mega obvious storyline of the Harbaugh brothers squaring off, first-year Chargers GM Joe Hortiz will also go against the organization he spent 26 years with.
The Chargers-Ravens connections don't end there, however, as the Bolts employ numerous players and coaches who used to wear purple.
This home game — the Bolts third straight at SoFi Stadium — should have the whole country tuning in.
5. A strong finish
A push for the playoffs could be determined by back-to-back home games in mid-December.
The first is a Week 15 game against Tampa Bay, a team that will be making its first visit to SoFi Stadium to play the Chargers.
The Bolts and Bucs only meet up every four seasons, so there isn't much familiarity between the teams.
But with the Bucs having NFC playoff aspirations, both teams could be fighting for a postseason berth in their respective conferences.
The Chargers will then welcome a team they know well — the Broncos — to SoFi Stadium in Week 16 for the final regular-season game in Inglewood.
Games between the Bolts and Broncos always seem to be close, and this one will likely be the same no matter the standings.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix might have a hold on the starting job by this point and could match up against a fellow Oregon signal caller in Herbert.
This is a game the Bolts might need to win if they are serious about making the postseason.
