No matter how you want to outline the goals for this season, one things is clear. The Los Angeles Chargers will be looking to exorcise their playoff demons.
They haven't earned a playoff win since 2018, and every loss since then is certainly a painful memory. But their most recent loss, in which they scored only three points against the New England Patriots in the Wild Card Round, is their most fresh wound.
Many of the factors that played into that loss have already been removed from the organization. The Chargers have a new offensive scheme under coordinator Mike McDaniel, and the returns of Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater (along with the re-shaping of the interior offensive line) should solve many of the issues that plagued Los Angeles.
They'll get their chance for direct revenge in when they play the Patriots at home in Week 12. But if Bleacher Report's recent list of 'hot takes' for 2026 proves true, the Chargers won't have to worry about them as playoff foes.
New England exceeded expectations by a large margin last season, and NFL writer Brad Gagnon has outlined the case for them to miss the playoffs entirely in 2026. While it's not the most likely scenario, there's a healthy dose of realism in Gagnon's prediction.
That should make Chargers fans happy as they seek out revenge.
The New England Patriots might be cleared from the AFC playoff picture entirely in 2026
The Patriots' success last season wasn't entirely a fluke. Drake Maye was playing at an MVP level. By the time they reached the playoffs, their defense had strung together enough success to believe in them as a seriously viable unit.
But there were also a number of factors that broke in New England's favor in 2025. Gagnon lists many of them as he states his case.
The Patriots had the league's easiest schedule in 2026. Not only was half of their own-division amongst the league's bottom-feeders, but they also faced the NFC South and the AFC North. The premier teams from those divisions in 2025 were the Carolina Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
They also had the fewest adjusted games lost due to injury out of any team in the NFL in 2025. If things break any differently in 2026, they could quickly find themselves trailing the Buffalo Bills by a significant margin for the lead in the AFC East.
Of course, they've made some major additions this offseason, and there's still room for them to make more. They added Romeo Doubs, Dre'Mont Jones, and Kevin Byard. They also still appear to be the favorites to land A.J. Brown if a trade takes place. But with a more difficult schedule this season, they'll face a much steeper battle to return to their place near the top of the AFC.
Even if the Patriots are out of the picture, the Chargers won't be out of the woods entirely. The AFC is still stacked, and it's likely that both the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs regain their status as contenders in 2026. But it's hard to argue that it wouldn't be a vindicating moment to see the Patriots fall flat after the defeat they dealt Los Angeles last season.
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