Chargers Will Remain on East Coast After Game With Panthers

The Chargers will stay out east after Sunday's game.

Eva Geitheim | Sep 11, 2024

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh announced Wednesday that the Chargers plan to stay in Charlotte, North Carolina following their game against the Carolina Panthers on Friday, via Eric Smith.

#Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh said the team will stay in Carolina next week after the Panthers game.

Mentioned staying on East Coast time and the chance for more team bonding.

“Let’s just focus on football, man.”
— Eric Smith (@Eric_L_Smith) September 11, 2024

The Chargers have back-to-back games on the East Coast in Weeks 2 and 3, beginning with their Week 2 game against the Panthers. Following their game with the Panthers, the Chargers will face the Pittsburgh Steelers the following week.

Staying on the East Coast prevents the Chargers from having to travel back and forth between the two coasts over a short span. Their East Coast stay will also allow the Chargers to adjust to the time zone since they have back-to-back games at 10 a.m. PT.

West Coast teams often schedule consecutive games on the East Coast so that they can remain on the East Coast for the week as the Chargers are doing. The San Francisco 49ers are another West Coast team that has employed this plan multiple times.

Harbaugh also believes the Chargers stay will allow the team to bond further. “There’s no reason why we can’t have some fun. Bring the board games and the snacks," Harbaugh said, via ESPN's Kris Rhim.

The Chargers will stay in Charlotte after playing the Panthers ahead of their week 3 game against the Steelers.

“There’s no reason why we can’t have some fun. Bring the board games and the snacks.” pic.twitter.com/ZtkldjSBjD
— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) September 11, 2024

The Chargers plan to practice at UNC Charlotte while they remain in North Carolina. They will then travel to Pittsburgh ahead of their game against the Steelers on Sep. 22.

Following these two games, the Chargers will return to Los Angeles to prepare for their second home game of the season against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chargers will have three other road games in the Eastern Time Zone for the remainder of the season, against the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons, and New England Patriots. None of those three games take place in consecutive weeks.

The Chargers are favored to get the win this Sunday against Carolina, as they face a struggling Panthers team that went 2-15 in 2023 and were crushed 47-10 by the New Orleans Saints in Week 1. If the Chargers get the win as expected, they will start the season 2-0. Starting 2-0 would provide another stark contrast to last season when the Chargers began the year 0-2 after losing their first two games by three points or less.