The San Diego Chargers are supposed to start slow and finish fast. This year they’ve gone away from their traditional path, winning five of six and even upending the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in the process.
The Bolts have gotten off to a red hot 5-1 start despite being mangled in the offensive backfield, and it’s largely thanks to what is shaping up to be a career year from quarterback Philip Rivers. There have been chants for Rivers as a legit MVP candidate, while some even suggest this San Diego team might actually be the best team in the NFC West (take that, Denver), or (*gasp), the entire league.
Bold predictions aside, let’s let the early season success soak in as we take a look at San Diego’s remaining schedule and three key games that could ultimately determine how far these Chargers go this year. You’ll also find information on tickets for each game, based on data provided by Barry’s Tickets.
Week 8 @ Denver Broncos (10/23/14) | Average Ticket Price: $387.80 | Get-in Ticket Price: $139
Easily San Diego’s biggest game of the first half of the season (barely ahead of the win against Seattle, of course), is this road contest with Peyton Manning and the Broncos. First place in the AFC West is obviously on the line in the first 2014 meeting between these two sides, in a heated showdown that could be an offensive shootout.
After seeing the Bolts give Denver a run for their money in all three meetings last year (once in the playoffs), there’s no reason to think we won’t see another closely contested battle here, as well. If San Diego can pull off the big upset, they’ll simply be continuing the running theme we’ve witnessed thus far: these Chargers are a lot better than people seem to think they are.
Week 14 vs. New England Patriots (12/07/14) | Average Ticket Price: $325.37 | Get-in Ticket Price: $141
Tentatively scheduled to be the Sunday night game on NBC, the Patriots Chargers game could be a prelude to a meeting in the AFC playoffs. The Patriots looked lost a few weeks ago in a blowout loss to the Chiefs, but they’ve rebounded quite nicely with victories against the Bengals and Bills. This is the most expensive home game remaining on the Charges schedule, and prices will only continue to rise if the Chargers can keep winning.
Week 17 @ Kansas City Chiefs (12/28/14) | Average Ticket Price: $96.11 | Get-in Ticket Price: $16
Chargers tickets offer ridiculous value come week 17, when they travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Chiefs. This one is jam-packed with reasons to go in person, as it’s the regular season finale against a hated division rival and it could carry a ton of weight as the season draws to a close.
Both of these teams could quite easily be vying for the lead in the division and/or a playoff spot, and a lot could potentially be on the line. Rivers and the Chargers should hold the upper hand on paper, but KC is sure to give them one heck of a fight in one of the biggest Chargers games of the year.
