The San Diego Chargers cleaned house in the front office this year and hired a new head coach, too, as they're hoping a fresh start would allow them to make some noise in the playoffs.

The new leadership will help, but it certainly doesn't hurt that the Chargers' 2013 schedule is ranked second-easiest in the NFL when looking at last season's records. San Diego's opponents finished last year with a losing record, posting a .457 winning percentage overall.

When looking at their schedule, there are very few instances where they should even lose back-to-back games, let alone anything regarding an overly difficult stretch.

Week Date Opponent Time (ET) TV 1 Sept.9 vs.Houston

10:15 p.m. ESPN 2 Sept. 15 @ Philadelphia

1 p.m. CBS 3 Sept. 23 @Tennessee 1:10 p.m. CBS 4 Sept. 29 vs.Dallas 4:25 p.m. FOX 5 Oct. 6 @ Oakland 4:25 p.m. CBS 6 Oct. 14 vs. Indianapolis 8:30 p.m. ESPN 7 Oct. 20 @ Jacksonville

1 p.m. CBS 8 Oct. 27 BYE



9 Nov. 3 @ Washington 1 p.m. CBS 10 Nov. 10 vs. Denver

4:25 p.m. CBS 11 Nov. 17 @ Miami

1 p.m. CBS 12 Nov. 24 @ Kansas City 1 p.m. CBS 13 Dec. 1 vs. Cincinnati 4:25 p.m. CBS 14 Dec. 8 vs. New York Giants

4:25 p.m. FOX 15 Dec. 15 @ Denver 8:25 p.m. ESPN 16 Dec. 22 vs. Oakland

4:25 p.m. CBS 17 Dec. 29 vs.Kansas City

4:25 p.m. CBS

Toughest Out: The Chargers face two pretty tough outs considering they have the Denver Broncos in their division. San Diego plays the Super Bowl favorites in Novemeber at home before going on the road for a Thursday night in December -- a potential difficult game when adding the Mile High weather to the equation.

Must Win: If the Chargers are still in the hunt, they'll have to win their last two games of the season. Divisional foes at home aren't always gimmes, but those games are likely must-wins if the Chargers are in the hunt for a Wild Card berth.

Don't Overlook: The New York Giants on Dec. 8. The Giants are likely going to be a solid team again this year, but the Chargers could start looking past them and at their road trip to face the Broncos on the road just four days later. If they do that, however, it's not going to end well.

For more on the Chargers this season, be sure to check out BoltsFromTheBlue.com