The Chargers are starting to look like the kind of team that can turn Super Bowl LX into a home game.
That’s the reality hanging over the franchise with the 2026 Super Bowl set for SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. If Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert get all the way there, they’d be playing for the Lombardi Trophy in their own building.
Of course, that’s a long road, and there’s plenty that still has to break right. Herbert has to take another step with Mike McDaniel now running the offense, and the upgraded offensive line has to keep him upright.
The defense also has to handle life after elite coordinator Jesse Minter. And then there’s the franchise’s rough history with injuries, which still looms over everything.
Even so, the buzz is real. The Chargers are no longer being treated like a cute idea or a team that needs a perfect setup to matter. Around the league, the conversation is shifting toward them as a legitimate contender, and that starts with Herbert.
A top-five quarterback changes the equation. Pairing Herbert with McDaniel gives the Chargers one of the offseason’s most intriguing offensive moves, especially with a new scheme and three new starters on the interior of the offensive line, led by center Tyler Biadasz.
That combination is what has people like Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer talking openly about the Chargers as a Super Bowl threat.
“Still, last year, they won 11 games, mostly without the two tackles that are the center of the team’s identity; they’re upgrading in a big way at tight end; they have young, rising talent at tailback and receiver; and the talent level on defense is really, really good,” Breer wrote. “I think Justin Herbert, with all this around him, should be an MVP candidate.”
Herbert dragged the Chargers to 11 wins and the playoffs last season while dealing with nagging injuries, including a game just one week after hand surgery.
Now he should be operating in a healthier offense and getting the ball out faster than ever, which should help the production and cut down on the punishment he takes.
The defense has its own questions, especially with Minter gone, but there’s also something stabilizing about how much of the group is staying intact. The core is still there, and so is Khalil Mack.
That’s why the Chargers are suddenly in the same conversation as the Rams when it comes to making February feel like a Los Angeles home date.
In Other News...
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Simpsons arrival still adds a layer to the picture, even if he is expected to open as the third-string quarterback. His long-term role is not settled, which is what makes the depth chart worth watching now, because the Rams have invested in a developmental option while staying committed to Stafford for the present. The only real question is how long that present lasts, and how the team chooses to manage the runway behind its established starter. [Read more 🡒]
Rams May Finally Have What Chris Shula Has Been Missing
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Kam Kinchens figures to be part of that next step, too, with the staff wanting to free him up to play more downhill and use his ball skills around the line of scrimmage. Shulas defense has already shown a knack for creating turnovers, and with more talent in place this season, the Rams are betting there is still another level to reach if the pieces settle in the right way. [Read more 🡒]
Sean McVay Just Added Intrigue To The Rams Quarterback Debate
The Rams quarterback room already had a fresh layer of intrigue after they used a first-round pick on Ty Simpson, and Sean McVay added to the conversation by making clear the team has not really discussed bringing in another backup. For a club that has spent plenty of time navigating the position under McVay, that alone is enough to keep the depth chart conversation alive as the roster settles in around its newest passer.
McVay did not completely shut the door on another move, though, which is what makes the situation worth watching from here. The Rams have a young quarterback in Simpson and a head coach who is leaving some room for flexibility, while the broader NFC picture keeps shifting around them, from Mac Jones stated commitment in San Francisco to Sam Darnolds post-Super Bowl reflections in Seattle. [Read more 🡒]