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The San Diego Chargers will be looking to rebound from a subpar 8-8 season in 2011, and the release of the 2012 regular season schedule brings a fresh start with more of the same for the Bolts going forward.

The Chargers face several tough opponents throughout the course of the season, but it's nothing the San Diego faithful should be stressing over right now. The AFC West has improved from last season, with new faces arriving through free agency, but there is no clear-cut favorite to win the division yet.

The Chargers open the season on Monday Night Football against their hated rivals from Oakland and coincidentally end the season with the Raiders in Week 17. San Diego will be featured in five prime-time games, with two appearances on Monday Night Football. In addition to the increased spotlight, five of San Diego's 2012 opponents were playoff teams last season.

The following is a breakdown of the Chargers' 2012 regular-season schedule in a slate the team no doubt hopes will lead to getting back to playoff relevancy.

To see San Diego's full schedule for yourself, click here.