By Steven Herbert
Contributing Writer
INGLEWOOD — The Rams will face the San Francisco 49ers in their season opener Sept. 10 in Melbourne, Australia and the Chargers will open their 2026 season by facing the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium Sept. 13, according to the National Football League schedule that was released May 14.
The Rams will play the New York Giants in a Monday Night Football’ game in their home opener Sept. 21, one of four scheduled prime-time games at SoFi Stadium the Rams will play this season. Other prime time games at SoFi this season for the Rams will feature the Buffalo Bills Oct. 12, the NFL’s first Thanksgiving Eve game Nov. 25 against the Green Bay Packers and a Thursday night game against the Kansas City Chiefs Dec. 3.
The Rams also will play home games against the Arizona Cardinals Oct. 18, the Chargers Nov. 1 and Dallas Cowboys Dec. 20. They will conclude the regular season by playing host to the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks with the date to be determined and announced following the conclusion of Week 17.
The Rams’ first domestic road game will be Sept. 27 against the Denver Broncos in a Sunday night game matching the two losing teams in the conference championship games in the 2025 season.
The Rams’ other road games in their 17-game schedule will be Oct. 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Oct. 25 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Nov. 8 against the Washington Commanders, Nov. 15 against the Arizona Cardinals, Dec. 13 against San Francisco, Dec. 25 against Seattle and Week 17 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whose date will be announced later.
NFL rules allow games to be shifted in and out for prime time from the fifth through 17th weeks of the 18-week schedule.
The NFL’s schedule is based on a formula assuring that a team will face each of the 31 other teams at least once over four years.
During a season, a team plays home and road games against each of the other three teams in its own division, one game each against all the teams in one division in its conference and one in the other conference, the remaining teams in its conference that finished in the same position in the standings as it did and the team from a designated division in the other conference that finished in the same position it did.
The Rams were second the NFC West in 2025 with a 12-5 record, defeated the Carolina Panthers, 34-31, in a wild-card round game in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jan. 10 and Chicago Bears, 20-17, in a divisional round game Jan. 18, before losing at Seattle, 31-27, in the NFC championship game Jan. 25.
The NFL also announced that the Rams will begin their three- game preseason schedule Aug. 15 with a road game against the Kansas City Chiefs, then play the New Orleans Saints Aug. 22 at SoFi Stadium. The Rams will conclude the preseason Aug. 27 by facing the Chargers.
The Charges will play three prime time games in their 2026 schedule. The Chargers will play at Baltimore Nov. 16 on Monday Night Football, facing the Ravens and their first-year coach Jesse Minter, the Chargers’ defensive coordinator the past two seasons.
The Chargers also will face the New England Patriots in a Sunday Night Football’ game at SoFi Stadium Nov. 29. The Patriots ended the Chargers’ 2025 season with a 16-3 victory in a wild-card round game Jan. 11. The Chargers are 2-8 in regular-season and playoff games against New England since 2010.
The Chargers’ other prime-time appearance will be Dec. 17 at SoFi Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers in a “Thursday Night Football game.
The Chargers’ other home games at SoFi Stadium will be on Sept. 20 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Oct. 11 against the Denver Broncos, Nov. 8 against the Houston Texans, Nov. 22 against the New York Jets and in Week 17 against the Kansas City Chiefs, whose date will be announced no later than Dec. 21.
The Chargers’ other road games will be on Sept. 27 at Buffalo, Oct. 4 at Seattle, Oct. 18 at Kansas City, Nov. 1 against the Rams, Dec. 6 against Tampa Bay, Dec. 13 at Las Vegas, Dec. 27 at Miami and in Week 18 at Denver.
The date for the Week 18 game will be determined and announced following the conclusion of Week 17.
The Chargers were second in the AFC West in 2025 with an 11-6 record.
The NFL also announced that the Chargers will begin their three-game preseason schedule Aug. 13 with a road game against the Houston Texans, then play San Francisco Aug. 20 at SoFi Stadium.
