The Chargers are scheduled for only three primetime games in 2026, a surprising drop from last season. Even with Mike McDaniel joining the staff and marquee matchups against the Bills and Rams, the NFL is keeping the Chargers mostly out of the national spotlight.
When the NFL schedule dropped, one thing immediately stood out for the Chargers — only three primetime games. After getting more national attention last season, the Chargers are taking a noticeable step back in the spotlight for 2026, and honestly, it feels surprising given some of the storylines surrounding this team.
The Chargers are currently scheduled for just three standalone games: a Monday Night Football matchup against the Ravens in Week 10, a Sunday Night Football game against the Patriots in Week 12 and a Thursday Night Football showdown with the 49ers in Week 15.
That number feels low for a team coming off back-to-back 11-win seasons under Jim Harbaugh. It feels even stranger considering the Chargers brought in Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator this offseason. McDaniel is one of the most recognizable offensive minds in football and helped engineer some of the league’s most explosive offenses during his time in Miami.
You would think the NFL would want more Justin Herbert and Mike McDaniel in front of a national audience.
Instead, several games that feel like obvious primetime candidates were left in afternoon windows. The biggest surprise might be the Week 3 road matchup against the Bills. Herbert vs. Josh Allen feels like one of the premier quarterback matchups in the NFL. Two playoff-caliber AFC teams, elite quarterbacks, and plenty of star power — that game practically screams Sunday Night Football. Instead, it landed in the early Sunday slot.
Then there’s the matchup against the Rams.
The Chargers and Los Angeles Rams share a stadium, both teams are expected to contend and the Rams are receiving a massive amount of national attention this season with seven primetime games scheduled. The Battle for Los Angeles has become one of the more entertaining regular-season matchups whenever it happens, yet this year’s meeting is once again buried in a Sunday afternoon window. With the Rams getting so much national exposure, it’s surprising the league didn’t see more value in putting that game under the lights.
To be fair, the Chargers still have opportunities to earn more primetime appearances later in the season through flex scheduling. If McDaniel’s offense takes off and Herbert puts together an MVP-caliber year, the league could easily move one or two of these games into Sunday night slots down the stretch.
And maybe that’s part of the NFL’s thinking here.
The Chargers have consistently been viewed as a talented team that still needs to prove it can break through in January. National hype only goes so far when playoff success hasn’t followed. The NFL may simply be waiting to see whether this version of the Chargers is truly different before fully buying in.
Still, only three primetime games feels light for a team with Herbert, Harbaugh, McDaniel and one of the tougher schedules in football. The talent and storylines are there. Now it’s on the Chargers to force the league to put them back in the spotlight.