Chargers' bleak 7.2% playoff odds have already made 2026 season a 'disaster'

The Los Angeles Chargers lost their Week 1 matchup to the Arizona Cardinals and their Week 2 matchup to the Las Vegas Raiders by the same 26-14 score.

It's a horrible start to the season for the Chargers, who were one of the most hyped teams coming into the 2026 season with the addition of Mike McDaniel. But now, with the offense looking like a mess and the defense questionable at best, the season is on thin ice.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell is already calling it a "disaster" for the Chargers. After an 0-2 start to the season, ESPN is projecting their playoff odds to be just 7.2%, which, after two weeks, is an incredibly bleak mark.

Chargers have bleak 7.2% chance of making NFL playoffs

"Los Angeles Chargers. Chances of advancing to the postseason, via ESPN's FPI: 7.2% (26th)," Barnwell writes. "Disaster. There's no other way to characterize what we've seen from the Chargers."

For the 2026 Chargers, the season might already be over at this rate. While it's not actually all said and done, especially if they manage to pull off a few upsets, it's not looking good at all for this Chargers team.

Part of the issue is that these two losses in Weeks 1 and 2 were the games they really needed to win. Their schedule from here on out is absolutely brutal.

The Buffalo Bills are the Week 3 matchup, followed by the Seattle Seahawks, both games being on the road. Their home game against the Denver Broncos isn't any reprieve, and that's followed by a road game against the Kansas City Chiefs before a Week 7 bye.

Things don't get easier coming out of the bye, with the Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens next on the schedule.

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While the New York Jets, New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Chiefs, and Broncos to close out the year isn't the worst, it's far from an easy schedule for the Chargers.

Considering the Chargers will have to compete in a very difficult AFC West, the division is all but out of reach already.

The Wild Card is their best bet, but even that's a stretch. The AFC West could send a team or two, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Patriots, Bills, Bengals, and Ravens in the mix for the Wild Card as well.

The Chargers already are down to just a 7.2% chance of making the playoffs, signifying that their 2026 season is practically over before it ever really got going.

They're going to need to pull off a few upsets to make it anywhere this season. It's not impossible, but the odds are not in their favor right now, and won't be going forward either.

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