The Los Angeles Chargers have a difficult schedule in 2026.
It's only May, so it's not yet time to overreact. It doesn't mean they won't be competing for the AFC West title, and it definitely doesn't mean they won't be in playoff contention. They have an entirely revamped offense, and that should be enough to leave room for optimism as we head into the rest of the offseason.
But the schedule is certainly difficult. The Chargers have an early bye in Week 7, and they'll face a murderer's row of defenses on either side of their off-week. The bye will be preceded by matchups against the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks as well as their first meetings with the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. After the bye, they'll have to pass through a gauntlet of the Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens.
If they come out of this stretch intact, they'll be in great shape. But there's little room for error for Los Angeles in this early stretch of the season. It will be sink or swim almost immediately.
Thankfully, Mike McDaniel and the offense have at least one silver lining to look forward to. The Week 1 and 2 matchups at home against the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders should give the offense plenty of opportunity to find its footing.
Chargers' 2026 schedule is difficult, but their first two matchups should be lay-ups
Needless to say, expectations are high for McDaniel's efforts with the Chargers in 2026. His outside-zone-dependent and motion-heavy scheme should open up new ways to maximize Justin Herbert's talents, especially in the quick passing game.
But anytime a new offensive system is being implemented, there's bound to be some kinks that need to be straightened out. A slate of two sub-par defenses in their first two outings of the year should help with that.
The Cardinals finished last season with a 3-14 record. Although Jacoby Brissett showed some solid flashes of competent play, the roster around him wasn't built for success. Arizona's defense allowed the sixth-most total yards to their opponents in 2025, and the major additions they made this offseason were almost entirely focused on the offensive side of the ball. The secondary should be slightly improved as their young pieces take strides, but this defense as a whole shouldn't really pose a threat.
The Raiders, meanwhile, added a ton of help on defense this offseason. They signed Kwity Paye, Quay Walker, and Nakobe Dean on the market, while adding Keyron Crawford, Treydan Stukes and Jermod McCoy through the Draft. But there's room for serious regression from their existing talent with the departure of Bryson Graham, and with so many new pieces in the fold, it may take the Las Vegas defense a few weeks to get their feet under them.
Both of these games, therefore, should represent sandboxes for McDaniel to work in before the brutal realities of the 2026 season kick in for the Chargers.
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