Los Angeles Chargers 2026 schedule: Friendly start at home before brutal 7-game stretch

The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NFL schedule release.

The Los Angeles Chargers’ 2026 schedule is here. We knew all the opponents and where the games would take place. Now we know the times and dates and the sequence in which they will be played.

The NFL gave the Chargers a truly brutal early-season travel schedule in 2025. They flew to Brazil to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the opener. Then the Chargers played again the next week on the road against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday night. This season, the Chargers will open with back-to-back home games. They will not have to leave Los Angeles until Week 3. A much more structured start to the year.

Here is the full 2026 schedule with our analysis.

Week 1 keys to victory

The Arizona Cardinals and new coach Mike LaFleur spent the No. 3 pick in April’s draft on Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. The Chargers will be the first team to see how the Cardinals plan to use Love, a versatile and explosive offensive weapon. LaFleur is positioned to lean on Love in multiple phases — as he should, given the investment the Cardinals made at the top of the draft. How the Chargers defend Love will be the key to this game. New defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary will have to adjust on the fly as the Cardinals reveal their utilization plans.

Must-watch game: at Baltimore Ravens, Week 10

It will be mentors vs. proteges as the Chargers head to Baltimore for a Week 10 primetime game against the Ravens. Jesse Minter left the Chargers this offseason to take the Ravens head-coaching job. Minter spent the past two seasons as the Chargers defensive coordinator. Before that, he spent two seasons as Jim Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator at Michigan. Minter spoke often about his appreciation and respect for Jim Harbaugh. Now the two will face off in a potentially pivotal November game.

Minter is also a mentor to O’Leary. Minter was a coach at Indiana State when O’Leary was a player there. Minter gave O’Leary his first coaching gig at Georgia State. Minter also gave O’Leary his first NFL coaching job with the Chargers in 2024. O’Leary will be running Minter’s scheme with the Chargers this season. Lots of fascinating storylines in this one — and we haven’t even mentioned Jim Harbaugh possibly seeking revenge for his brother John, who the Ravens fired this offseason after nearly two decades.

An honorable mention to Week 12 against the New England Patriots in primetime. The Chargers lost to New England in the first round of the playoffs last season.

Toughest stretch: Weeks 3 to 6

This is a gauntlet: at the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, at the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4, home against the Denver Broncos in Week 5 and at the Chiefs in Week 6. The Bills were one toss-up call away from making the AFC Championship Game last season. In that divisional round game, they lost to the Broncos, who might have made the Super Bowl if quarterback Bo Nix did not get hurt. The Seahawks, of course, won the Super Bowl. Buffalo and Seattle are two challenging road games. The Chargers close this stretch at the Chiefs, and Patrick Mahomes should be back to full strength by mid-October. The Chargers will desperately need this bye in Week 7. And the challenging games don’t stop there. You could extend this stretch through Week 10. After the bye, the Chargers play against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in Week 8 and at home against the Houston Texans in Week 9 before heading to Baltimore for that Monday night matchup.

Games that have gotten tougher: vs. Las Vegas Raiders, Week 2 and Week 14

The Raiders have a new coach in Klint Kubiak and a new quarterback in Fernando Mendoza, the first pick in April. This should be a more competitive team than what we saw last year under Pete Carroll’s leadership. It’s possible the Chargers see Kirk Cousins in Week 2. They should almost certainly see Mendoza in Week 14.

The Raiders have also considerably improved their roster around the quarterback position. Of course, they spent big on center Tyler Linderbaum in free agency. They made some mid-market signings between receiver Jalen Nailor and linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker. And they added 10 draft picks, including defensive back Treydan Stukes and edge rusher Keyron Crawford. This roster has much more talent, and they have a quality offensive schemer leading the way in Kubiak.

One game the Chargers can’t afford to lose: vs. New York Jets, Week 11

The Chargers have highly competitive games from Week 3 all the way to Week 10. The first game after this stretch is at home against the Jets, and the Chargers have to win this game. The Jets were terrible in their first year under coach Aaron Glenn, finishing 3-14. They made some veteran additions on defense that should raise the floor on that side of the ball. But I don’t see the Jets making any sort of dramatic turnaround in 2026. Over the final seven games of 2026, the Chargers still have to play the Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, Chiefs and Broncos. It gets easier but not that much easier. The Jets game is the break in the schedule for the Chargers. They must take advantage.

Best offense the Chargers will face: Los Angeles Rams, Week 8

The Rams were the best offense in football in 2025 by every conceivable measure. They scored the most offensive points with 504, according to TruMedia. No other team scored more than 472. By advanced metrics, the Rams led the league in EPA per play and offensive success rate. The unit is virtually unchanged from a personnel perspective. An easy pick here. The Battle of LA should be a fun one. The two teams last played in 2022. Stafford was hurt, and the Rams started Baker Mayfield while limping through a dreadful season.

Best defense the Chargers will face: Seattle Seahawks, Week 4

The Seahawks won the Lombardi Trophy behind Mike Macdonald’s ferocious, overwhelming defense. Seattle lost some contributors on that side of the ball in free agency. Cornerback Riq Woolen signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Safety Coby Bryant signed with the Chicago Bears. Edge rusher Boye Mafe signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. But the nucleus of Macdonald’s unit is very much intact.

This will be a huge challenge for new Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel on the road in Week 4. One interesting note: The Chargers’ returning offensive players should be pretty familiar with Macdonald’s scheme. Minter and Macdonald come from the same tree and run similar defenses. The Chargers offense has been facing a version of this defense in training camp practices for the past two years.

Predicted record: 10-7

The schedule is tough, but so was the schedule in 2025. Jim Harbaugh simply finds a way. Last season, the Chargers lost both their starting tackles and used almost 30 different combinations along the offensive line. Harbaugh still won 11 games and led the Chargers back to the playoffs. With McDaniel calling plays, the offense should be, at minimum, a top 10 unit, as long as the Chargers can stay mostly healthy. O’Leary is a bit of a wild card on defense, but I believe he will find his rhythm by the second half of the season. I see the Chargers overcoming this difficult schedule and making the playoffs for a third straight year under Harbaugh.

Predicted AFC West finish: Second

1. Broncos

2. Chargers

3. Chiefs

4. Raiders

I have the Chargers making the playoffs as a wild card for the third straight year. It’s hard to predict the organization’s first division title since 2009. The schedule is a huge factor. The Broncos still have an elite defense. They won 14 games in 2025. The Chiefs are tough to nail down, given Mahomes’ injury and rehab. The Raiders have to show me something before I even consider moving them out of the bottom spot.

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