The unchecked optimism inherent to a new NFL season might not linger throughout the league much longer.
Hope seldom wavers before Week 1, with teams still clinging to the most optimistic vision of themselves heading into a fresh campaign. But with the opening weeks come several harsh realities that can dismantle any observer's idealized view.
And for some contenders, the early portion of the season could prove severely challenging.
Frontloaded schedules await several of this year's most formidable threats. And while fading in the standings in September hardly defines any franchise's season, it can prompt an all-important self-reflection far earlier than any team might have hoped for.
Whether due to troublesome opening slates or lingering issues
– or some combination of the two – here are five NFL teams that could stumble early in the 2026 season:
Los Angeles Chargers
No team has a more forgiving first two weeks than the Chargers, who host the Cardinals and Raiders to kick things off. Jim Harbaugh's crew needs to uphold its track record of seldom faltering against inferior opponents, however, because a brutal stretch awaits on the other end.
In its next seven games, Los Angeles will take on five playoff teams from 2025, all of which are coming off campaigns of 12 or more wins. The exceptions? The Chiefs and the Ravens, with the Chargers needing to face each of the significantly reloaded perennial contenders on the road.
With new play-callers on each side of the ball, the Chargers might have a more difficult time reaching the level of reliability they did in Harbaugh's first two seasons. For offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel's intricate system to truly take off, players must develop precise timing and a mastery of several moving parts. With a vulnerable interior line threatening any shot at finding an early equilibrium, Los Angeles might need some time before its attack rounds into form. If that's the case, the organization's hopes for a third consecutive playoff berth might hinge on a second-half surge.
Buffalo Bills
Singling out a team that has started at least 2-0 in five of the last seven years might seem like an odd choice for this exercise. But the schedule-makers did Joe Brady no favors in permitting the first-time head coach any sort of grace period for his team to find its way under new leadership.
The first five weeks of the season will bring matchups with four playoff teams from last season, as well as the Lions for the home opener in a Week 2 "Thursday Night Football" tilt. And while having Josh Allen and the league's most prolific rushing attack might seem to confer the kind of advantage that would allow Buffalo to ride out any turbulence during that stretch, all four postseason outfits boast top-10 scoring defenses.
The real concern for the Bills, however, is their own defense, which is undergoing a schematic sea change as coordinator Jim Leonhard takes over. Perhaps a new vision will be invigorating for the group, but a unit that ranked 30th last season in yards allowed per carry and has significant questions at inside linebacker could be trampled by the likes of the Lions, Chargers and Rams. Don't be surprised, then, if the highly-scrutinized – and recently replaced – sod at the new Highmark Stadium isn't the only impediment to the Bills finding their footing before their Week 7 bye.
Denver Broncos
With a level of continuity rarely seen for a contender, the Broncos should be impervious to a sleepy September. But Sean Payton's 4-7 record in the month during his Denver tenure looms large, even after last year's team shook off its 1-2 beginning to reel off 11 consecutive wins.
"I don't think we've started fast in my three years," Payton said at a news conference in late August. "So I'm pretty sure that's gonna be important."
Payton is handing off play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Davis Webb, who will be handling the responsibility for the first time in his career. Yet that might be the lone source of simmering uncertainty for a unit that otherwise has already answered many of its most glaring questions. An offensive line that continues to hold its place as one of the league's elite fronts should significantly aid the effort to rejuvenate the run game, with running back J.K. Dobbins' return figuring to provide the steadying presence that was sorely missed when he was hurt down the stretch last season.
A frontloaded schedule, however, is sure to challenge Webb's preparedness. After a rare September trip to face the rival Chiefs in the "Monday Night Football" opener, the Broncos will square off against five consecutive teams that finished with 11 or more wins last season. From there, things set up favorably for another lengthy midseason win streak. But another sequence of initial setbacks could dampen the sense of steady progress for Denver.
Los Angeles Rams
The inclusion of the reigning NFC runner-up is not a matter of questioning the cohesion of what looks to be far-and-away the league's most talented roster. When the defense can turn loose Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald, who boast five NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards between them, the intricacies of the pass-rush plan tend to matter a little less. And while a secondary that imported a new starting cornerback tandem of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson might need time to sort out communication and coalesce, the early returns on the back end's progress have been encouraging.
But in the latter half of Sean McVay's tenure, the first five weeks of the season have often made for a trying stretch. The team had a losing ledger in that span from 2022-24 before a cleaner start last year. Even then, Los Angeles squandered two prime opportunities against the 49ers and Eagles to begin 3-2. With the former set for a Thursday night Week 1 date in Australia and the latter sandwiched between showdowns with the Broncos and Bills, any hiccups could be difficult to overcome.
The slate softens considerably after that, so there should be no cause for concern if the Rams don't roll over their opponents from the outset. Still, it might take some time for this group to ramp up, and the early standings could reflect that.
New England Patriots
At least the defending AFC champions won't have to worry about any lingering narratives about a soft schedule anymore. After they repeatedly capitalized on their fortuitous breaks last fall, the Patriots will open with a foursome that combined for a .721 winning percentage last year. That stands as the highest figure for any team's opening four-game stretch in the last 40 years, according to CBS Sports.
Revamping Drake Maye's receiving corps by adding A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs seemed to solve one of New England's most pressing deficiencies. Yet even with those improvements, there's a good deal of unease about the No. 2 scoring attack and the incessant pressure the MVP runner-up was subjected to throughout the postseason, with Super Bowl 60 proving to be the breaking point. Left tackle Will Campbell's return to full health and the reshuffling of the interior should shore up the weakness. Still, Maye's chemistry with his new tandem of lead pass-catching options remains a work in progress, and an attack that last season was too inconsistent on the ground and in the red zone could be in for some rough patches if it doesn't set a stronger tone up front in multiple phases.
There's also the matter of Christian Gonzalez's unresolved contract talks and the lingering potential for the Pro Bowl cornerback to miss the opener against the Seahawks, a possibility he hasn't ruled out just days away from kickoff. His absence would severely impede a defense that relied on dialing up its blitz rate late in the season and throughout the playoffs in order to create pressure against opposing quarterbacks.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Five NFL teams that could stumble early in 2026 season
