When the 2026 NFL schedule was released back in May, it's safe to assume that many saw the Los Angeles Chargers getting two wins in the first two weeks before hitting a ridiculously tough stretch of games in the two months that follow.
But as Bolts fans—and everyone else, for that matter—have watched these last two Sundays, that's not how things have played out. In Week 1, the Chargers were upset by the Arizona Cardinals, getting outplayed in every single facet of the game in a 26-14 defeat.
And in Week 2, the story was the same, as they took a second straight 26-14 loss, this time to the Las Vegas Raiders, who got a 253-yard, three-touchdown outing from quarterback Kirk Cousins and held Los Angeles QB Justin Herbert to just 192 yards, twice intercepting the two-time Pro Bowler and sacking him three times.
Starting 0-2 is bad enough, as just 11 percent of teams to start a season in such a way since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 have gone on to make the playoffs. But this 0-2 start is particularly embarrassing, as the Chargers have become the first team in history to lose their first two games to teams that lost 14 games the previous season. The Cards and Raiders both went 3-14 in 2025.
Furthermore, for head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was coaching his 100th NFL regular-season game on Sunday, by the way, this marks the first time in his career—one that includes three seasons at the University of San Diego (2004-2006), four seasons at Stanford (2007-2010), four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers (2011-2014), nine seasons at Michigan (2015-2023), and now three seasons with the Chargers (2024-2026)—that he's started 0-2.
And as mentioned, things only get tougher from here.
The Chargers' schedule over the next two months is absolutely brutal
Here's a quick look at what the Bolts' next 10 weeks look like.
- 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
- Week 11: vs. New York Jets
- Week 12: vs. New England Patriots
So, you can see why winning those first two games against the Cards and Raiders was so important, right? Just these next four weeks alone could conceivably do Los Angeles in, as there's a strong chance this team hits the Week 7 bye at 0-6.
The Chargers' Week 3 opponent, the Buffalo Bills, lead the league in scoring at a whopping 38.5 points per game, as Josh Allen is playing out of his mind.
Their Week 4 opponent, the reigning champion Seattle Seahawks, unlike the Bolts, had no problem with the Cardinals in Week 2, taking an easy 31-7 victory to improve to 2-0 after kicking off the new season with a win over the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl rematch. And that 2-0 start is with Drew Lock at quarterback, and the fact that this matchup takes place in Seattle certainly doesn't help Los Angeles.
In Week 5, the Chargers are at home against the Denver Broncos, who bounced back from a Week 1 loss with a solid Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
And in Week 6, they hit the road for a third time in four weeks for a matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, who have averaged an NFL-best 457.5 yards per game over the first two weeks en route to a 2-0 start.
And following the bye, the Chargers get the Los Angeles Rams, who remain one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl, then a Houston Texans team that always seems to give them fits, then two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, a much-improved New York Jets team, and then the reigning AFC champion Patriots, who embarrassed them in the Wild Card Round back in January.
So, brace yourselves, Bolts fans. The first two weeks of this season have been rough, for sure, but that could only be the beginning of a colossal failure of a campaign if Harbaugh & Co. can't figure things out quickly.
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