Chargers Face Brutal Seven-Week Stretch That Will Determine Their Season
The jig is up. The news is out. So much for all those guessing games when it came to how the 2026 schedule would be laid out for Jim Harbaugh's team. It's safe to say it doesn't look anything like the start from a year ago.
In 2025, the Los Angeles Chargers opened the season at São Paulo by knocking off the Chiefs, went to Las Vegas on a Monday night and defeated the Raiders, then finally played a game at SoFi Stadium and outlasted the eventual AFC West champion Denver Broncos. Three games, three wins, and a 3-0 start vs. their divisional rivals. As you can see below, that certainly won't be the case come early September.
Chargers' 2026 schedule
Week 1: Sun. Sept. 13 vs. Arizona Cardinals 1:25 pm CBS
Week 2: Sun. Sept. 20 vs. Las Vegas Raiders 1:05 pm CBS
Week 3: Sun. Sept. 27 at Buffalo Bills 10:00 am FOX
Week 4: Sun. Oct. 4 at Seattle Seahawks 1:25 pm CBS
Week 5: Sun. Oct. 11 vs. Denver Broncos 1:05 pm CBS
Week 6: Sun. Oct. 18 at Kansas City Chiefs 1:25 pm CBS
Week 7: Sun. Oct. 25 BYE
Week 8: Sun. Nov. 1 at Los Angeles Rams 1:05 pm FOX
Week 9: Sun. Nov. 8 vs. Houston Texans 1:05 pm CBS
Week 10: Mon. Nov. 16 at Baltimore Ravens 5:15 pm ESPN
Week 11: Sun. Nov. 22 vs. New York Jets 1:05 pm FOX
Week 12: Sun. Nov. 29 vs. New England Patriots 5:20 pm NBC
Week 13: Sun. Dec. 6 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10:00 am CBS
Week 14: Sun. Dec. 13 at Las Vegas Raiders 1:05 pm CBS
Week 15: Thurs. Dec. 17 vs. San Francisco 49ers 5:15 pm PRIME VIDEO
Week 16: Sun. Dec. 27 at Miami Dolphins 10:00 am FOX
Week 17: TBD vs. Kansas City Chiefs TBD TBD
Week 18: TBD at Denver Broncos TBD TBD
Harbaugh's club will begin the season with a home date vs. the Arizona Cardinals and rookie running back Jeremiyah Love-the third overall pick in April's draft. A week later, it's another contest at SoFi Stadium as the Bolts host the rival Raiders and rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza (will he start?)-the first overall selection last month.
A challenging stretch for Jim Harbaugh's Chargers
Then things get extremely tricky, and that's being polite. The club's next three games are all against 2025 playoff participants. There are trips to Buffalo and Seattle in Week 3 and 4, respectively, followed by a home tilt vs. the Broncos. It's off to Kansas City in Week 6 before the club's off-week. The Chargers get back to action in Week 8 and will be the visiting team against the Rams. That's followed by a home date against that top-ranked Houston Texans' defense from a season ago.
All told, it's six games in a seven weeks against five clubs that reached the postseason a year ago-including a date with the reigning Super Bowl champions in the Pacific Northwest.
Chargers head to Denver in Week 18 once again
Yes, the Chargers do play five of their final nine games away from the home. It's worth noting that Harbaugh's team owns an 11-6 regular-season road record under his guidance dating back to 2024. For the second consecutive year, the Bolts will head to the Mile High City in Week 18. Could the AFC West title be on the line when those longtime rivals clash? Both teams finished 5-1 vs. their division rivals in 2025, with the clubs holding serve at home a year ago.
Yes, that stretch from Week 3-9 is pretty brutal. Then again, it's also chance for these Chargers to hone their game against some of the league's top teams. If Harbaugh's club can keep their helmets above water after those six outings, this could be a very battle-tested team heading into the second half of 2026.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/chargers/onsi as Chargers Face Brutal Seven-Week Stretch That Will Determine Their Season.
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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 6:03 PM.