The Chargers' 2026 season is only a few days away. Soon, they will kick off their 67th season in franchise history, and it is their biggest to date.
A lot of eyes will be on Los Angeles as they have all the tools to make a deep playoff run, something they haven't accomplished in nearly two decades. Nonetheless, all that will be forgotten if they live up to the hype this Fall.
ESPN's latest Football Power Index appears to be high on the Chargers. With the 2026 season kicking off soon, they ESPN's Matt Bowen and Seth Walder ranked the Bolts sixth.
According to the Power Index, entering Week 1, the Chargers have a 66.2% chance to make the playoffs and a 36.1% chance to win the AFC West.
On top of that, their projected wins are set at 9.8 and have the seventh-hardest
strength of schedule.
The Chargers certainly don't have it easy entering the 2026 season. While their first two games are "easy" (on paper at least), it will be tough sledding in the middle of the season from Week 3 to 10.
That stretch is a gauntlet, featuring six teams that made the playoffs a season ago. The seventh team in that stretch didn't make the playoffs; that team was the Chiefs.
The Chargers have put themselves in a great position to make some noise this season. While a few question marks remain, particularly at interior offensive line, they believe they are better equipped this season to handle adversity or injuries.
This article originally appeared on Chargers Wire: Where do the Chargers stand in ESPN’s power index ahead of Week 1?
