Chargers drop another creative schedule release video, with a dig at Harrison Butker’s commencement address

No one beat the Los Angeles Chargers on NFL schedule release day, and the team lived up to its reputation on Wednesday.

After two years of the most disrespectful anime trailers you’ll ever see, the Chargers went in a different direction for 2024. They used Sims-style animation to throw in jokes and references to their future opponents, and it’s a delightful few minutes.

In case you’re not as well-versed in the Internet about football as the Chargers’ social media staff, here’s the best answer key we could put together for what each week in that video references:

• Week 1, Las Vegas Raiders: Clowns

• Week 2, Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton’s viral fight at a youth football tournament

• Week 3, Pittsburgh Steelers: Russell Wilson’s unceremonious departure from the Denver Broncos and Justin Fields’ unceremonious departure from the Chicago Bears

• Week 4, Kansas City Chiefs: Travis Kelce’s previous tweets, podcast with his brother Jason and relationship with Taylor Swift

• Week 6, Denver Broncos: Wal-Mart ownership of the team and the departures of Wilson, Justin Simmons and Jerry Jeudy

• Week 7, Arizona Cardinals: The team’s past failures with Josh Rosen and possible future failure with Kyler Murray

• Week 8, New Orleans Saints: Zion Williamson’s weight issues and a quartet from the franchise’s darkest days, including Kevin James playing Sean Payton in “Home Team”

• Week 9, Cleveland Browns: the team’s struggles to find a franchise QB

• Week 10, Tennessee Titans: The departure of Derrick Henry and a nod to the fun calendar launch video that coincided with the Chargers last year

• Week 11, Cincinnati Bengals: The city’s proximity to Kentucky

• Week 12, Baltimore Ravens: Jim Harbaugh’s sibling rivalry with John Harbaugh

• Week 13, Atlanta Falcons: The strange decision to draft Michael Penix Jr. after giving Kirk Cousins ​​a $180 million contract

• Week 14, Kansas City Chiefs: Chiefsaholic’s bank robberies

• Week 15, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield’s overall aura

• Week 16, Denver Broncos: The general hopelessness of the team

• Week 17, New England Patriots: The end of the team’s dynasty

• Week 18, Las Vegas Raiders: 63-7 and the team’s considerable legal problems

The biggest blow, however, might have come in the credits, placing Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker in a kitchen after his now-infamous graduation speech about how, among other things, women should be housewives. .

Of course, there are even more references in the background.

This is the third year in a row that the Chargers have impressed with their schedule announcement. They broke the internet in 2022 with their ultra-creative anime calendar release video, which took everyone by surprise with its intelligence and authenticity. (The Jacksonville Jaguar dressed as Urban Meyer sitting at a bar was a nice touch.)

The Chargers created another brilliant schedule release video in 2023. It was also filled with references to recent NFL stories, such as Derrick Henry’s injury and the likely end of the Bill Belichick era in New England.

The Chargers have one of the most creative, talented and daring social media departments in the entire NFL, and they do an incredible job. For three years in a row, they’ve put together a scheduled release video that manages to be thoughtful, fun, and visually impressive, when achieving even one of those can be difficult to achieve. Hopefully they’ll have a little break before they start storyboarding next year’s play.