Over the course of a 2-2 start before the bye week, you could say the Los Angeles Chargers won a crucial game, but won another shrug-worthy game and lost two crucial meetings.

After all, the AFC is once again stacked from top to bottom and the Chargers remain stuck in the AFC West. Get a win over the Las Vegas Raiders in the opener? Good. Beat Carolina? So-so. Losing to Pittsburgh wasn’t as bad as losing to Kansas City, but just a seven-point loss to the Chiefs when things were looking good means nothing in the win-loss column.

Looking ahead, here are the key games still on the schedule for the Chargers after the bye.

Denver was erratic and also started 2-2. With an extra week of preparation and players like Joe Alt coming back from injury, there’s no excuse for dropping this one. Quite an impressive start for the Chargers defense should benefit this season as the Broncos start rookie Bo Nix under center.

That game in Denver is winnable and the Chargers will play three teams with just one win (Cardinals, Browns, Titans) heading into this primetime game on Monday night. That should mean a winning record heading into a clash with a Ravens team that looks like it could win the AFC Conference outright, if not contend for a Super Bowl. By then, the Harbaugh Bowl could be a chance for the Chargers to prove that the defense is legit and that Jim Harbaugh’s offensive approach is correct — never mind the implications for the standings.

Not long after the Ravens’ pivotal performance on Monday night, the Chargers head to Kansas City for a Sunday night showdown with the Chiefs. It’s a chance to get revenge for the 17-10 loss in Week 4. And while the Chiefs looked more vulnerable than in recent years and may remain that way, this has Patrick Mahomes and Co. doesn’t exactly stop it from winning, so this one ranks high in the rankings.

On paper, the perfect scenario for the Chargers here is for this season finale to impact the eventual AFC playoff standings, while the Raiders have their eyes on draft position. However, it’s difficult to gain insight into the Raiders outside of the Davante Adams trade rumors, as the Chargers defeated them 22-10 in the opener, then the Raiders turned around and defeated Baltimore the following week. Ideally, though, this is a layup to end the season.

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