Avoid the dreaded 9:00 a.m. kickoff. One expert argues that primetime slots against Buffalo and Baltimore are crucial for Justin Herbert to overcome historic East Coast hurdles.
The Los Angeles Chargers are set to see their schedule unveiled this week. The schedule release will have big implications on how their season goes.
When games are played will have a huge effect on the team's ability to contend. While we have ideas about how the schedule will be ordered and which difficult games may be stacked against each other, the NFL is looking to put together a fair schedule for all 32 NFL teams rather than just one. Whether or not that ends in the Chargers' favor is still to be seen.
The Chargers will face multiple contending teams in their 2026 slate. The time in which those games kick off is what one analyst is looking at with the schedule soon to be revealed.
Thomas Martinez of Los Angeles Chargers on SI broke down what would be a successful NFL schedule release for the Chargers. Here's what Martinez had to say about the hopes for a favorable schedule for the team.
"The Chargers will be traveling to the East Coast four times this season to face off against the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Chargers have historically struggled for one reason or another with early window starts when traveling East. The advantage that East Coast teams have over West Coast teams traveling East is greatly diminished when the games are in the primetime evening window.
The Chargers facing the Bills and Ravens in primetime would make sense for ratings and the AFC conference. Traveling to Buffalo will be a new experience with the Bills set to move into their new stadium, and it will mark the first time Justin Herbert and Josh Allen will face each other head-to-head since Herbert's rookie season. The quarterbacks are 1-1 against each other including college."
Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel watches during offseason workouts at The Bolt. Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesThere's one clear reason why the Chargers not playing in the early window seems like a fair ask for the team: The Los Angeles time zone. The Chargers would certainly like to avoid playing games at Noon on the East Coast, which translates to 9:00 a.m. PT. Being awake at that hour is not a difficult endeavor. Beginning warmups at 6:00 a.m. or earlier certainly is not easy, though.
Aside from the above sentiments, the NFL world will want to see the Chargers offense in a high scoring battle with the Ravens and Bills. Certainly, the Buccaneers offense with quarterback Baker Mayfield can score its fair share.
We'll keep an eye on which games the Chargers will play in the evening as the schedule gets unveiled.