The time for the Los Angeles Chargers to be named a "sleeper" team has passed. They're now recognized as one of the top teams in the top teams in the AFC after a strong regular season in 2025.
Unfortunately, that strong season brings about a difficult schedule in the following year. No amount of social media team expertise could have covered up how grueling the Chargers' slate is in 2026.
Just one day after the NFL's schedule release, Los Angeles is already being named one of the teams with the most difficult schedules in the league. According to Dan Parr of NFL.com, the Chargers' schedule ranks fourth.
Chargers' 2026 schedule named among NFL's most difficult
Despite having the ninth-ranked strength of schedule based on opponents' win rate, the Chargers found themselves in the top five of Parr's list. Parr said, In the six matchups scheduled from Week 3 through Week 9, five of their opponents won at least one playoff game last season. The Chargers play Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, Patrick Mahomes (provided he’s healthy) and Matthew Stafford during that stretch. New DC Chris O'Leary will have his work cut out for him. Then the Bolts have to visit former DC Jesse Minter and Lamar Jackson on a Monday night. Los Angeles plays four of its final six on the road, too, with a game at reigning AFC West champion Denver in Week 18."
The hits just keep coming. Sure, the Chargers should start the season off with two wins, but the rest of the year is filled with tough matchups and long stretches on the road. With multiple contenders on the calendar in the first half of the season, Los Angeles could get off to a slow start in the race for the AFC West title.
Of course, the rest of the division didn't get off easy. The Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders still have to play the entire NFC West and the AFC East. But the other games on the Chargers' schedule are brutal. Matchups against the Houston Texans, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers give LA an unfortunate edge.
This team should still be competitive in 2026. The offense, led by Mike McDaniel, is as complete as it has been in years. If Chris O'Leary can carry on Jesse Minter's work, the Chargers can still be solid on both sides of the ball. But it won't be an easy road through the regular season.
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