2026 NFL strength of schedule doesn't bode well for the Chargers

Since the second the 2025 regular season ended, the Los Angeles Chargers have known their opponents for the 2026 campaign. But with the NFL releasing the full slate of games for next season on Thursday, the Bolts now know exactly when and where each of their 17 contests will take place.

The Chargers will kick off the '26 regular season with two consecutive games at home, first facing the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 and following up with a Week 2 rivalry matchup against the new-look Las Vegas Raiders. The Bolts will hit the road for the first time in Week 3 for a highly anticipated contest with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.

Here's a quick look at the Chargers' full 2026 regular-season schedule:

• Week 1: vs. Arizona Cardinals
• Week 2: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
• Week 3: at Buffalo Bills
• Week 4: at Seattle Seahawks
• Week 5: vs. Denver Broncos
• Week 6: at Kansas City Chiefs
• Week 7: BYE
• Week 8: at Los Angeles Rams
• Week 9: vs. Houston Texans
• Week 10: at Baltimore Ravens (MNF)
• Week 11: vs. New York Jets
• Week 12: vs. New England Patriots (SNF)
• Week 13: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Week 14: at Las Vegas Raiders
• Week 15: vs. San Francisco 49ers (TNF)
• Week 16: at Miami Dolphins
• Week 17: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
• Week 18: at Denver Broncos

Like the full list of opponents, we've known the strength of schedule for each team for several months, but it's always more entertaining to look at once we know all of the things for next season, don't you think?

Now, it's safe to say that not everybody buys into SOS based on the previous year's records, as teams naturally aren't the same, given the moves made in free agency and the draft. And that works both ways, by the way, as there will obviously be plenty of teams in 2026 that aren't as strong as they were this past year, while there will undoubtedly also be others who will bounce back.

While nobody can genuinely predict how the Bolts will fare with their 2026 opponents, what we can tell you is that those opponents went a combined 151-138 in 2025, which comes out to an overall winning percentage of .522, thus giving Jim Harbaugh & Co. the ninth-toughest schedule.

It should be noted that their three longtime divisional rivals—the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, and Las Vegas Raiders—are counted twice each. But as we wanted all 17 games to be taken into account, that's where things came out.

Here's a look at the full strength of schedule rankings for the 2026 NFL season.

In total, the Chargers will play eight games against teams that made the playoffs this past season, with two against defending division champion Denver Broncos and one each against the Buffalo Bills, the Houston Texans, the Los Angeles Rams, the defending AFC champion New England Patriots, the San Francisco 49ers, and the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

How the Chargers' 2026 schedule was determined

For those who may not be familiar with how the NFL constructs a team's schedule, it breaks down using the following criteria:

• Six games against every other team within the division — two per team; one at home and one on the road
• Four games against teams from a specific division within its conference on a rotating, three-year cycle; two at home and two on the road
• Four games against teams from a specific division in the opposing conference on a rotating, four-year cycle; two at home and two on the road
• Two games against teams from the two remaining divisions within the same conference based on the previous season's standings; one at home and one on the road.
• One game against a team from a division from the opposing conference on a rotating, four-year cycle that the team isn't already scheduled to play based on the previous season's standings.

As for how that breaks down for the Bolts, they'll naturally play their typical two games each against their fellow franchises from the AFC West in the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, and Las Vegas Raiders.

Then, with the three-year intraconference rotation dictating that all AFC West teams will play all AFC East teams in 2026, Los Angeles will face the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and New York Jets.

As the four-year interconference cycle dictates that all AFC West teams will play all NFC West teams, the Chargers will take on the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks.

As the Bolts finished second in the AFC West, they'll play the second-place teams from the other two AFC divisions they're not already scheduled to play, meaning they'll square off with the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.

And lastly, the rotating cycle dictates that every AFC West team will play the NFC South team that finished in the same position in 2025, meaning Los Angeles will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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