The AFC West watch is on.
Looking at the Week 1 schedule, many expected the Los Angeles Chargers to defeat the Arizona Cardinals. On paper, the Chargers are the more talented team, they have quarterback Justin Herbert, and Mike McDaniels running their offense. This should have been a layup Week 1 win for the offseason favorites.
But that’s not what happened.
Not only did the Chargers lose to the Cardinals at home, but they were also thoroughly outplayed by first-time head coach Mike LaFleur’s squad.
The worst part for the Chargers is that this was supposed to be the easy part of their schedule.
The Chargers have a home date vs. their AFC West rivals, the Las Vegas Raiders, next week in a game they will be favored to win. However, if they had issues with the Cardinals, they could struggle with the Raiders, who looked pretty decent against a bad Miami Dolphins team on Sunday. After the Raiders game is when the Chargers go through a brutal stretch of games that will frankly define their 2026 season.
They start this stretch of games with back-to-back road games in Buffalo at New Highmark Stadium vs. Josh Allen and the explosive Bills offense. Then, they head to Seattle, where the 12s will be loud to take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Seahawks. They will then head home to take on the reigning AFC West Champion Denver Broncos before going on the road again to take on the Chiefs and Rams. It doesn’t stop there, they will then host the Houston Texans and their elite defense, followed by a road date vs. Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
A lot has been made about the Broncos start of the season, and it is a tough one on paper, but the Chargers schedule is equally, if not more difficult. An upset loss to the lowly Cardinals who many have penciled in for a top 5 pick in next April’s NFL Draft is not the start they wanted.
The Broncos have to handle their own business starting tonight in Arrowhead vs. the returning Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. If they can do that, they can put a game between them and the Chiefs and Chargers and be competing with….the Las Vegas Raiders…for control of the AFC West early on in the 2026 NFL season.
