Now that the schedules have been released, those around the league are gauging their team's chances at success for the 2018 NFL season. Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Chargers, they face a grueling road trip in the middle of the year that will see them away from the StubHub Center for quite a while.

Having to play away from Los Angeles for over a month is certainly not ideal. However, quarterback Philip Rivers hopes the team can be up to the task, according to Ricky Henne of the team's website:

“I think we have to embrace that,” Rivers said. “It’s, ‘Hey, shoot, we’re going on the road for a month. Let’s go!’ I think it’s OK this time of year to acknowledge that, golly, we have this many road games in this stretch and all the east coast games are at 10:00am. All right, let’s go play. When they kick it off we’ve got to be prepared and up for the challenge.”

It goes without saying that any road stretch can prove to be a tall order. Fortunately, the Chargers are one of the few teams that are equipped to do just that.

The team sent shockwaves throughout the NFL when they decided to relocate to Los Angeles. They have since had a rough time garnering support in their new home as evidenced by the fan turnout last season as opposed to visiting teams. Needless to say, the fans in Los Angeles can be difficult to impress.

It certainly does not help that the Los Angeles Rams have managed to capitalize on their stellar 2017 campaign by becoming a Super Bowl favorite after a star-studded offseason. That said, the Chargers will need t make a statement if they are to avoid turning a one-month road trip into a season-long one.