The Los Angeles Chargers have a difficult slate ahead of them in 2026.
Between Weeks 3 and 10, they'll face an absolute gauntlet of matchups, ranging from NFC powerhouses like the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks to some of the AFC's most formidable teams in the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Texans. They'll also face two of their most important divisional matchups in that stretch, with a home date against the Denver Broncos and a road date against the Kansas City Chiefs.
If they can emerge from those first 10 weeks with six wins, they'll be in excellent shape to carve out a playoff berth, or even a divisional championship, down the stretch of the season.
But it will all begin with their Weeks 1 and 2 matchups against the Arizona Cardinals and the Las Vegas Raiders. Both games will be held in Los Angeles.
The Cardinals, for their part, have their own plethora of internal issues. They could very easily be the worst team in the NFL this season, and that game should be a lay-up for the revamped Chargers roster. Divisional matchups, however, always bring unforeseen difficulties. As such, Week 2 takes on the posture of a must-win game for Los Angeles.
Thankfully, ESPN's Ryan McFadden has provided us with an update from Las Vegas' camp. As of now, it seems as though Kirk Cousins is taking an early lead in their in-house quarterback competition
"Despite Mendoza's strides, Cousins was the best quarterback during the team's spring practices. Kubiak said that Cousins has played well thus far and that they will be counting on him in the fall. Still, the Raiders won't have a definitive answer at quarterback until training camp, when the pads come on." Ryan McFadden, ESPN
The Kirk Cousins-led Raiders don't stand a chance against the Chargers in Week 2
The Raiders, rightfully, are taking things slow with Mendoza. McFadden outlines the positive strides that Mendoza has taken in camp, but he also highlights the vast amount of learning he still needs to undertake as he learns to play under center in an NFL offense. Even for first-overall picks, this is always a major adjustment. If a team has the luxury, they should generally be hesitant to thrust a rookie quarterback into action in Week 1.
This is where the Raiders' signing of Cousins comes in. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Las Vegas to improve from their league-worst 3-14 record this season, even with their numerous additions in free agency. Giving Cousins the starting job to begin the year, given his veteran experience and whatever amount of mentorship he's willing to provide Mendoza with, is the smart move.
But let's be honest here. Cousins is not going to do much to improve Las Vegas' fortunes in 2026, at least as long as he takes the field as the starting quarterback. His mobility has been severely limited since the Achilles tear he suffered in 2023 with the Minnesota Vikings, and he largely hasn't been the same type of game manager he was known as throughout his career since he arrived with the Atlanta Falcons. Across eight starts last season with Atlanta, he posted 1,721 passing yards and 10 touchdowns on a 61.7% completion rate. He coupled that with five interceptions and a career-low 44.3% success rate.
Some of this can be blamed on the shortcomings of the Falcons' offense. But the truth is that the only chance the Raiders have at finding any semblance of competitiveness this year is when Mendoza eventually takes the reigns.
If Cousins ultimately holds onto the job in training camp, therefore, the Chargers' Week 2 matchup is already starting to look a lot less threatening than it might have been.
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