The Los Angeles Chargers know they’re in for a crucial season. It’s the third year of the Jim Harbaugh era, with his team coming off of consecutive 11-win seasons since becoming head coach. Most teams would sign up for that sort of success in the regular season, there’s no doubt about that.
Then why is there still a sense of desperation around the Chargers’ building? That regular season success just doesn’t translate to the postseason, as the Bolts have been bounced in the Wild Card round twice under Harbaugh. It’s honestly remarkable how they managed to get into the playoffs last year, as a strong start dwindled into an injury-riddled season across the board. Harbaugh will always have his teams competing in January, but the task now is to string together a long playoff run.
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Heading into the summer, the Chargers have made quite the improvements all over. With two new coordinators in Mike McDaniel and Chris O’Leary, they have plenty of talent to work with. The offensive line will be regaining both Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater this season, along with newcomers Tyler Biadasz and rookie Jake Slaughter set to solidify the interior.
While the Chargers didn’t add a prominent top receiver, they were able to sign David Njoku to bolster their tight end room even more.
Coming off of an 11-6 season, should the Chargers expect the same output in 2026? The experts say yes.
Chargers’ win total expected to be higher says NFL analyst
The Bolts’ current over/under win total is set at 10.5, fair considering how the last 2 seasons went. Gilberto Manzano of SI predicted each team’s win total and he took the over on the Chargers.
“I don’t know if Justin Herbert will ever win a playoff game,” Manzano wrote. “But I do know Jim Harbaugh usually has his team in the postseason mix. Since hiring Harbaugh, L.A. has gone back-to-back seasons with at least 11 wins.”
“Double-digit victories seems to be the floor for this team that should be better if tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater stay healthy.”
Manzano went on to say that Omarion Hampton should have a bounce back season after appearing in just 8 games as a rookie. The moral of his story is that injuries have held the Chargers back from their full potential. They should have 11 or more wins in 2026 if all goes right.
We’ll see if Manzano’s prediction is correct in a few months.
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