NFL Schedule Throws Chargers Early Trap Game That Could Derail Season
On paper, the Los Angeles Chargers couldn't have asked for a better way to start next season.
Those Chargers need to prove themselves right out of the gates, breaking in a new Mike McDaniel offense for Justin Herbert.
That offense replaced all three starters on the offensive line and will get two starting tackles back. It has new schemes and use cases for old players and new.
And the overhaul there makes it easy to overlook a defense going from a top-tier name like Jesse Minter to an unproven one with Chris O'Leary at coordinator.
Almost as if serving up an easy one, the NFL gave the Chargers a home game in Week 1 against the reeling Arizona Cardinals.
NFL Week 1 spotlights key prove-it game
One doesn't even need to look up odds and spreads to know that this one has a double-digit margin pretty much everywhere.
The Cardinals won just three games last year, dropped 14 and are once again starting over with a new head coach, this time Mike LaFleur.
It's a lopsided fight from the jump at the quarterback spot, where Herbert will need to overcome either career journeyman Jacoby Brissett or third-round pick Carson Beck. The game plan from Arizona's side will heavily center around giving the rock to third-overall pick and running back Jeremiyah Love.
ESPN's Pamela Maldonado recently wrote about why this is such a big problem for the Cardinals going into Week 1.
"The problem with that... the Chargers were top 10 against the run last season and were second in limiting red zone touchdowns," Maldonado wrote. "Arizona could lean run-heavy, but long drives ending in field goals or punts would favor the under, especially if L.A. controls the pace with a lead."
Translated?
The Chargers better win. They're going to need to get-right games like this to find themselves against bad teams like Arizona and Las Vegas in Week 2 before hitting on one of the nastiest stretches in modern memory.
Starting in Week 3, the Chargers play the following teams:
- Bills
- Seahawks
- Broncos
- Chiefs
- Rams
- Texans
- Ravens
The Chargers don't just need to be 2-0 going into Week 3, they need to be on a roll. That means showing defensive continuity with a new coordinator and some explosive traits that match the hype of McDaniel's arrival.
Anything less, and there will be some deserved alarm bells around the Chargers by September 20.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/chargers/onsi as NFL Schedule Throws Chargers Early Trap Game That Could Derail Season.
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This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 1:00 PM.