At long last, the 2026 NFL season is upon us, and the Los Angeles Chargers are set to kick things off with a Week 1 matchup at home against the Arizona Cardinals, which looks like the first of at least a few guaranteed wins on the year.
The first two years of the Jim Harbaugh era have been somewhat successful, as the Bolts have gone 11-6 in each of the past two seasons, finishing second in the AFC West each time and earning back-to-back postseason berths for the first time since they made four straight trips to the playoffs from 2006 to 2009.
The problem, however, is that they didn't come close to winning either postseason contest, taking a 32-12 beating at the hands of the Houston Texans to close out the 2024 campaign and then suffering an embarrassing 16-3 defeat to the eventual AFC champion New England Patriots this past January.
The Chargers, of course, have never hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, coming closest in 1994 before being battered by the San Francisco 49ers in the Big Game by a score of 49-26. But heading into this new campaign, NFL oddsmakers seem to like their chances to win Super Bowl 61, which will be contested at none other than SoFi Stadium
Chargers have the fourth-best odds among AFC teams to win Super Bowl 61 heading into Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season
Here's a quick look at the Super Bowl 61 odds for all 32 teams, as well as each club's chances to represent their respective conference at SoFi come February 14.
Team | Super Bowl 61 | AFC | NFC |
|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles Rams | +500 | — | +290 |
Buffalo Bills | +1000 | +500 | — |
Baltimore Ravens | +1000 | +520 | — |
Seattle Seahawks | +1200 | — | +600 |
Kansas City Chiefs | +1600 | +780 | — |
Los Angeles Chargers | +1700 | +830 | — |
Philadelphia Eagles | +1700 | — | +850 |
Cincinnati Bengals | +1800 | +850 | — |
New England Patriots | +1800 | +870 | — |
Houston Texans | +1800 | +870 | — |
Detroit Lions | +1900 | — | +930 |
San Francisco 49ers | +1900 | — | +950 |
Green Bay Packers | +2000 | — | +1050 |
Denver Broncos | +2000 | +970 | — |
Chicago Bears | +2400 | — | +1250 |
Dallas Cowboys | +2500 | — | +1250 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | +3000 | +1500 | — |
Pittsburgh Steelers | +5000 | +2400 | — |
Minnesota Vikings | +5000 | — | +2400 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +5500 | — | +2200 |
Washington Commanders | +6000 | — | +3000 |
Indianapolis Colts | +6000 | +3000 | — |
New York Giants | +7000 | — | +3500 |
New Orleans Saints | +9000 | — | +4000 |
Carolina Panthers | +9000 | — | +4000 |
Tennessee Titans | +13000 | +5500 | — |
Atlanta Falcons | +13000 | — | +5200 |
Las Vegas Raiders | +15000 | +6600 | — |
New York Jets | +20000 | +9000 | — |
Cleveland Browns | +20000 | +9000 | — |
Miami Dolphins | +35000 | +16000 | — |
Arizona Cardinals | +50000 | — | +20000 |
As you can see, at +1700, the Chargers are tied with the Philadelphia Eagles for the sixth-best odds overall and the fourth-best odds among AFC teams, trailing only the Buffalo Bills (+1000), Baltimore Ravens (+1000), and Kansas City Chiefs (+1600).
And this is basically where the Bolts have been for the last seven months.
In the immediate aftermath of the Seattle Seahawks' victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60, we took a look at the way-too-early odds for Super Bowl 61, and Los Angeles sat tied for ninth overall and tied for fourth in the AFC at +1500.
Following the first wave of free agency, they were right where they are now at +1700, which was then good for a tie for eighth overall and solo fourth in the AFC. And just after the draft, they stood at +1600, again good for a tie for eighth overall and a tie for fourth in the AFC.
So, not much has changed.
For those wondering how oddsmakers have the AFC West shaking out, the Chiefs are the slight favorites there at +170, with the Bolts sitting in a close second at +190. The defending division champion Denver Broncos are in third at +210, with the Las Vegas Raiders, as expected, bringing up the rear at +2000.
Bleacher Report predicts the Chargers won't even make the NFL Playoffs
At this point in the year, there are naturally all sorts of predictions floating around, but one that caught our attention, in particular, was one from our pal Moe Moton at Bleacher Report, who not only believes the Bolts won't lift the Lombardi for the first time in franchise history but also believes they're not even going to make the postseason. Here's a little piece of what he had to say in an attempt to justify his prediction:
"This offseason, offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel brings renewed optimism to the Chargers' outlook. He'll work with two-time Pro Bowler Justin Herbert and a talented group of skill-position players at running back, wide receiver and tight end.
While there's tremendous buzz around the Chargers' offense, many have overlooked what the team lost on the defensive side of the ball, particularly on the sideline.
Play-caller Jesse Minter left to become the Ravens' head coach, taking with him the defensive acumen that defined the Chargers over the past two seasons. Under his tutelage, Los Angeles allowed the fewest points in 2024 and ranked ninth in defensive scoring in the previous campaign.
First-time NFL defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary will take over for Minter. Aside from a one-year stint as Western Michigan's defensive coordinator last season, he has been a safeties coach. Sure, every play-caller in the NFL needs a first opportunity, but the Chargers defense could see a significant drop-off from Minter to O'Leary."
Moton makes a decent point about the DC switch, of course, but it's not as if O'Leary doesn't know this football team. Yes, he's been a safeties coach, but let's not forget that he was the Chargers' safeties coach in that 2024 season Moton mentioned in which Los Angeles allowed the fewest points in the NFL. And it's not as if assistant coaches work only with their own groups, so he's certainly familiar with plenty of the personnel he's now in charge of as a whole.
Moton also mentioned a tough stretch of the schedule in which the Bolts will battle the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in Week 4, the Denver Broncos in Week 5, the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8, the Houston Texans in Week 9, and the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10.
While the team's Week 7 bye is in there, that is undoubtedly a daunting stretch, arguably the toughest of any team throughout this '26 season, as the only team not included in the top 10 of the Super Bowl 61 odds listed above is the Broncos, who sit in a tie for 13th alongside the Green Bay Packers at +2000.
If the Chargers can start the season at 2-0 with wins over the Cards and the Las Vegas Raiders and then get through that seven-game run at 3-4 at the very worst, starting the easier part of the schedule down the stretch with a mark of at least 5-4 would have to be considered a win for Harbaugh & Co., wouldn't you think?
The fact of the matter is that no matter what the Super Bowl 61 odds are or what wild predictions have come down the pipeline over the last few months, we'll obviously just have to sit back and wait to see what happens. And the beauty is that we now don't have to wait much longer, as football that matters is back.
All betting odds courtesy of DraftKings. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. The content in this article should not be considered betting advice. Gambling involves risk, and one should only gamble with funds that one can comfortably afford to lose. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Add us as a preferred source on Google