Justin Herbert is back at OTAs, which means the Chargers can fully focus on the season ahead. With new coordinators on both sides and a remade offensive line, optimism is high entering the third season of the Jim Harbaugh era. But Los Angeles has a tough middle stretch of the season and has the worst rest differential in the league this year.
Let’s go game-by-game and see how LA might shake out this season.
Week 1 vs. Cardinals: Win
Arizona would like to start Jacoby Brissett at quarterback in this game, but Brissett is currently holding out for a raise after signing a contract that put him firmly in backup territory. If that holdout continues into training camp, the Cardinals could be a bit behind the 8-ball coming into this one under new head coach Mike LaFleur.
Week 2 vs. Raiders: Win
Las Vegas will probably run Kirk Cousins out under center for this game, as GM John Spytek has held firm in saying that the Raiders will bring No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza along slowly. With that in mind, it seems doubtful the Raiders will have enough talent to overcome the Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
Week 3 @ Bills: Loss
LA’s trip to Buffalo kicks off a brutal 7-week stretch of games where the bulk of the Chargers’ losses will likely come from. The Bills are transitioning to a new era under first-time head coach Joe Brady and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, who joins Buffalo from Denver. This will be the Bills’ second game in their new stadium, so a rowdy environment is likely. Perennial MVP candidate Josh Allen under center will also present an early test for new defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary.
Week 4 @ Seahawks: Win
Reigning Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be a tough cover, but the Super Bowl champions lost a fair amount of talent on both sides of the ball and may be experiencing some growing pains this early in the year. Seattle had the best defense in the league a year ago, but the Chargers have faced a variation of Mike Macdonald’s scheme in practice since Harbaugh was hired, which could give them a unique leg up coming into this one.
Week 5 vs. Broncos: Win
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix should be back and fully healthy by this game, but LA’s matchups with both Denver and Kansas City feel like the home team will come out on top, given how evenly matched the teams are. Adding wide receiver Jaylen Waddle gives the Broncos an extra punch offensively that can’t be discounted, however.
Week 6 @ Chiefs: Loss
Patrick Mahomes should be healthy from his own injury by the time this game takes place in mid-October, which will make this one a bit more interesting. Kansas City remodeled the secondary this offseason, but first-round pick Mansoor Delane will have gotten his feet wet at cornerback by this point in the calendar. Offensively, the addition of former Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III complicates the calculus for the Chargers defense.
Week 8 @ Rams: Loss
The Rams are largely running it back, but their two new starters are huge upgrades over what they had last year. Cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, both of whom played for the Chiefs last season, give the other LA team a high-end duo on the outside and make it difficult to see a path to a win in this one, even with the added benefit of the bye week right before.
Week 9 vs. Texans: Win
Houston’s defense will never be one to sneeze at, but quarterback CJ Stroud is firmly in prove-it territory coming into this season. With three new starters on the offensive line and running back David Montgomery coming over from Detroit, it’s possible that Houston has given Stroud the infrastructure to be the high-end passer he looked like in 2024. But until he shows that through the first 8 weeks of the year, this feels like a game the Chargers should be able to win.
Week 10 @ Ravens: Win
Harbaugh and company will travel to Baltimore to meet their former defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter, in this one, as Minter took the Ravens’ head coaching job this offseason. This one could go either way, but the Chargers have more curveballs to throw at Baltimore since they know Minter’s defense, while Minter will only have 8 games of the Chargers offense under McDaniel to study heading into this one.
Week 11 vs. Jets: Win
After that gauntlet from Weeks 3 to 10, the Chargers simply have to win this game against a Jets team that improved but is still mostly composed of talent that led New York to the No. 2 overall pick last season. A surprise loss here could be fatal for LA’s division title and playoff hopes with losable games still left on the schedule.
Week 12 vs. Patriots: Loss
Wide receiver AJ Brown seems to be as good as already on the Patriots roster, so we’re including him among New England’s talent while predicting this game. The Patriots already knocked the Chargers out of the playoffs last season without the type of production Brown would likely add, and if quarterback Drake Maye continues ascending the way he did as a sophomore last year, New England will be a tough out both here and in the playoffs.
Week 13 @ Buccaneers: Win
Tampa Bay feels like one of the more volatile teams on the schedule for LA this season – it seems equally likely that the Bucs have fired head coach Todd Bowles by this point of the year as it is that Tampa will be in the mix for the NFC South title. Either way, this iteration of Tampa’s squad doesn’t have enough firepower to compete with LA unless a handful of young players take huge strides.
Week 14 @ Raiders: Win
Expect to see Mendoza by this point, but LA’s defensive scheme – whether coordinated by Macdonald during his time in Baltimore and now in Seattle, Minter, or now O’Leary – historically gives rookie passers plenty of trouble. A remade defensive room has a fair number of gambles that may or may not have paid off by mid-December when these two teams clash for the second time.
Week 15 vs. 49ers: Loss
If San Francisco stays healthy, they should be good enough to give this Chargers team fits. Kyle Shanahan is extremely familiar with McDaniel’s offense, considering McDaniel came up as a 49ers assistant, so the San Francisco defense will likely be prepared for the majority of what LA can throw at them. On offense, the addition of longtime Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans adds to the looming threats of tight end George Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey.
Week 16 @ Dolphins: Win
Miami will likely not be competitive by this point in the season, so even a cross-country trip for a 10 a.m. kickoff- which LA has struggled with under Harbaugh – isn’t enough to sway this one in the Dolphins’ favor. First-rounder Chris Johnson is a good start, but Miami has little else in the cupboard at corner against a Chargers team that should feature Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Tre’ Harris in big-time roles.
Week 17 vs. Chiefs: Win
Kansas City has gotten less old this offseason, but it’s still a roster on the older side, which might lead to some fading down the stretch. Weapons like Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice have not proved to be particularly durable, either, so there’s a fair chance that the Chiefs will be at less than full strength by the new year.
Week 18 @ Broncos: Loss
This one hinges on how important this game ends up being for both teams: in this scenario, LA would enter the week 11-5, which might be good enough to make this a game for the division title but could also be just short of challenging the Broncos enough. If both teams play starters, the edge lies just slightly with Denver at Mile High.
Final Record: 11-6
Despite the tough schedule, Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers should firmly be a playoff team again in 2026. The schedule was tough last year and LA dealt with a flood of injuries on the offensive line, but also everywhere else, and they still finished 11-6 and made the playoffs anyway. It’ll be a tough fight for the division with Kansas City and Denver both returning their quarterbacks ahead of schedule, but LA has the personnel and coaching talent to get them into the tournament.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Chargers 2026 schedule: Game-by-game predictions for Los Angeles
Reporting by Alex Katson, Chargers Wire / Chargers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
