Over the course of the offseason, various analysts and prognosticators have predicted a wide range of outcomes for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2026.
Some believe that any regression on the defensive side of the ball under Chris O'Leary could leave the Chargers on the outside looking in of the playoff picture. Others, who are more bullish on the talent Los Angeles has on the offensive side of the ball, believe in them as a real Super Bowl threat and an essential lock for a Wild Card berth.
The reality likely falls somewhere in between. If the Chargers face injuries along the offensive line again and face any sort of growing pains as they work new coordinators in on both sides of the ball, the path to postseason success will be steeper than many of us have imagined at this point. At the same time, though, if everything comes together by the time Los Angeles enters the thick of their schedule in Week 5, there's a real chance for this team to find their footing in the AFC West race by mid-season.
The Athletic have Los Angeles ranked eighth in their final power rankings before the start of the regular season—just three spots behind the reigning Denver Broncos and six spots ahead of the resurgent Kansas City Chiefs. If that's a reasonable prediction for the strength of this Los Angeles roster, there's more than enough reason to feel optimistic about their chances at a division title this season.
Things need to break the Chargers' way— but this is a strong enough roster to compete for the AFC West
The Chargers, obviously, aren't the first-ranked AFC West team in these power rankings. How could they be, when we saw Denver just make a run to the AFC Championship and return much of their formidable defense from a year ago?
But the Chargers' place in these rankings—slightly tailing the Broncos and with a major lead on the Chiefs in terms of range of outcomes—is exactly where they need to be to start the season.
Even with Patrick Mahomes back for Week 1, 14th is a reasonable place for Kansas City. Their offense struggled mightily last season even before Mahomes' injury, failing to find consistent momentum either through the air or on the ground. They finished 16th in total passing yards and 25th in total rushing yards by the end of the campaign. The addition of Kenneth Walker III should help shore up the latter category, but there's still enough uncertainty on both sides of the ball to be doubtful of the Chiefs' ability to compete for a division title until we see it on the field.
Denver is another issue entirely. Their ranking at fifth is also reasonable given how strong their defense was last season and the strides we can expect out of Bo Nix as he enters his third NFL campaign. The addition of Jaylen Waddle in their passing attack should also provide a much-needed deep threat.
But, if we need to point it out, Denver finished with 11 one-score wins last season. If things break even slightly in a different direction—which they very well could with some of the uncertainties the Broncos have in their run game and with Nix's return from his ankle injury—a door could very quickly open for the Chargers to overtake the Broncos in the race for the division.
It's not as though Los Angeles doesn't have its own uncertainties. They still don't have a solidified starter at left guard, and O'Leary will need to prove he can maximize this defense in the same way that Jesse Minter did across his two seasons with the organization. But eighth is a great place to be before the campaign kicks off, and even a moderate projection leaves room for them to push the Broncos if they're able to survive their early-season gauntlet with a reasonable record.
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