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          NFL Nation

          Los Angeles Chargers schedule 2023: Takeaways, predictions

          Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
          • Lindsey Thiry, ESPNMay 11, 2023, 08:51 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.

          COSTA MESA, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Chargers’ 2023 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate on Thursday, May 11.

          The Chargers and new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will play their season opener against the Miami Dolphins, with a chance to immediately test how their new-look offense will operate against what is anticipated to be among the top defensive units in the NFL.

          And for a second consecutive year, barring any schedule flexing late in the season, the Chargers will be featured in six primetime matchups. After a quiet offseason, but one in which they retained each of their splash additions from 2022, the Chargers will have another chance to prove on the biggest stage that they can make a Super Bowl run. Their bye week will fall early in Week 5.

          Here's what's in store for the Chargers:

          Chargers 2023 regular-season schedule

          Week 1: Sept. 10 vs. Miami

          Week 2: Sept. 17 at Tennessee

          Week 3: Sept. 24 at Minnesota

          Week 4: Oct. 1 vs. Las Vegas

          Week 5: Oct. 8 BYE

          Week 6: Oct. 16 vs. Dallas on "Monday Night Football"

          Week 7: Oct. 22 at Kansas City

          Week 8: Oct. 29 vs. Chicago on "Sunday Night Football"

          Week 9: Nov. 6 at New York Jets on "Monday Night Football"

          Week 10: Nov. 12 vs. Detroit

          Week 11: Nov. 19 at Green Bay

          Week 12: Nov. 26 vs. Baltimore on "Sunday Night Football"

          Week 13: Dec. 3 at New England

          Week 14: Dec. 10 vs. Denver

          Week 15: Dec. 14 at Las Vegas on "Thursday Night Football"

          Week 16: Dec. 23 vs. Buffalo (Saturday)

          Week 17: Dec. 31 at Denver

          Week 18: Jan. 6 or 7: vs. Kansas City

          Strength of schedule: 0.518 (T-12th)

          Over/Under: 9.5

          Biggest takeaway

          The Week 5 bye. It is less than ideal -- especially now in an 18-week season -- to have a bye week so early on the schedule when your roster is likely to be in good physical condition and is still sharp mentally and emotionally. As the Chargers push through November and December, they will have no reprieve if they're banged up and will not receive a mental break from a grueling schedule.

          Revenge game

          The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t on the schedule ... so the only revenge the Chargers should be out for comes against the division-foe Kansas City Chiefs, and that appears less like revenge and more so as a twice-yearly matchup that has been decided by one score -- with the Chiefs up 3-1 -- since Brandon Staley took over as coach in 2021.

          Bold prediction

          The Chargers will enter their bye 4-0, with their Moore-directed offense stealing the attention of the NFL, and proving that this is the season to play to expectations. There will be some missteps along the way, but the Chargers will remain in the race for a division title, with the AFC West being decided in a Week 18 matchup against the Chiefs.