Although the NFL Playoffs are still in action with the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams making it to their conference championships respectively, the 25-26 season has come to a close for the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers barely made it into the playoffs earning the 7th seed in the AFC bracket, positioning them to play the Patriots in the first round in Foxborough. The Patriots are a historically successful franchise and backed by the MVP caliber season of second-year quarterback Drake Maye, they would pose a tough matchup for the Chargers.
Los Angeles was able to put up a decent fight throughout the game, but much of it was dictated by the Patriots defensive line and their impressive six sacks on Justin Herbert. The Chargers Offensive line struggled immensely with even the times Herbert wasn’t sacked he was facing intense pressure. The cold and rainy weather in New England also could have played a factor in the Chargers struggles as it was difficult to throw the ball in the conditions.
The Chargers would eventually lose the game 16-3 with their offensive being completely shut down. It was a low scoring game, and one the team will look to learn and grow from heading into the offseason.
Now that the Chargers are officially in the offseason, they need to look ahead. They have a young talented quarterback in Justin Herbert and an experienced head coach in John Harbaugh but need to address serious issues on their team. They struggle with their offensive line, they need more talented receivers and they need to bring in new members for the coaching staff.
The Chargers possess the 22nd pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft where they will look to build out their offensive line. Many mock drafts have them drafting left guard Olaivavega Ioane from Penn State who would be great value to get in the late first round. The Chargers should also look to possibly draft another receiver as veteran Keenan Allen is getting older and less reliable.
Apart from the draft, the Chargers also have to focus on hiring a new offensive coordinator as well as addressing contract extensions with hopes to retain star defensive end Khalil Mack and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh.
Despite the fact that the Chargers have a lot of work to do in the offseason, they have $93.9 million in projected salary cap which is No. 1in the league. This leaves them room to attract high prospect free agents, improve their coaching staff and the overall franchise in many ways. The Chargers have struggled in recent years with Herbert still seeking his 1st playoff win, but there is room for improvement with John Harbaugh beginning to turn the team around. With a good offseason and proper management of their salary cap, Los Angeles should be right back in playoff contention next season!