I like to think I have good taste. That I recognize when things are done well, like Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight.” Or his “Inception.” Or his “Interstellar,” “The Prestige” or … you get it. Nolan makes great films.
The Chargers’ social media team is the NFL’s Christopher Nolan. I am always impressed by the small details and perfect execution in the team’s schedule release videos, two hallmarks of any Nolan film.
- In 2024, the Chargers’ Sims-themed video (now at 38.5 million views) had Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker cooking in the kitchen and a Taylor Swift reference.
- 2025 had a Minecraft theme (19.2 million views) that made me laugh multiple times. My favorite part is this jab at the Steelers for trying to both contend and rebuild before finishing every season 9-8 anyway.
The Chargers’ 2026 video is also great, of course. Their Halo riff topped 11 million views in its first 12 hours. I won’t spoil much here, other than to say that placing a plasma grenade on Bo Nix’s ankle was diabolical. You can watch it on YouTube or wherever else.
But it’s not this year’s most popular.
Inside: The most popular videos (my colleagues’ rankings of all 32 are here), along with Jayna Bardahl’s story on how these things get made. That, plus the winners and losers of, you know, the schedule itself. Let’s go.
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Most popular schedule release video: Colts
This year’s most popular schedule release video award goes to the Colts, who showed 10/10 self-awareness after last year’s controversial video was deleted.
(If you recall, it included a snippet mocking Tyreek Hill’s legal troubles and used Minecraft without permission. For what it’s worth, the video was funny and Hill clearly didn’t mind. It’s still around.)
In this year’s Simpsons-themed version, the Colts reference last year’s video disaster and the team’s struggles in Jacksonville, where they haven’t won since 2014 (!!!). Many more nuggets like that in this year’s most popular video.
No. 2 in popularity, again based on current Reddit upvotes, are the Titans, whose social media team has perfected the man-on-the-street format. Prior versions had pedestrians on Nashville’s famous Broadway street guess teams based on their logos. That was from 2023, and it’s the best video of all time. It got a sequel in 2024.
The Titans strayed from that format in 2025 (a bit of a miss), but returned to Broadway for 2026 to find lookalikes for each opponent. Here’s the Trevor Lawrence gem:
As for the Chargers, they sit third in upvotes, while the Raiders’ “Step-Brothers” theme with Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins is No. 4. As someone with self-proclaimed good taste, I approve of those rankings.
My colleagues had slightly different takes. We’ll agree to disagree on the Raiders. Their explanations are here, along with all 32 videos, led by the Chargers’ social-media dynasty.
Fans were … not kind to the Cardinals after they posted an AI-themed (and AI-generated?!) video. “A photo of the schedule would have been less pathetic,” wrote one Reddit commenter. Ouch.
Like I said, we have a great, behind-the-scenes look at how these videos get made, unlocked for you here. Onward.
2026 schedule: Two things to know
Now that these videos have become a thing, they tend to dominate the week’s headlines … to the point that we briefly forget the schedule itself. As Jeff Howe explains in his story on the immediate winners and losers, some teams shouldn’t be happy with their schedules:
Winners: Fans in Week 1. The season starts (on a Wednesday) with a Patriots-Seahawks Super Bowl rematch, but that might not be the opening week’s best game. We’ll also get Rams-49ers, Cowboys-Giants, Chiefs-Broncos and Bills-Texans.
Losers: Chiefs, Jaguars and Browns. As Jeff notes, these are the only teams with dreaded three-game road trips. Kansas City has the worst stretch, traveling to play the Bills, Rams and Bengals from Weeks 12 to 14.
More in his full story here, while we also share 2026’s best matchups here. My only complaint is that we need to wait until Week 16 for Bills-Broncos and Rams-Seahawks (the latter matchup happens twice in the final three weeks). Popcorn will be ready.
Extra Points
👀 Netflix’s popular “Quarterback” show is back for a third season, this time starring Jayden Daniels, Baker Mayfield, Cam Ward and 41-year-old Joe Flacco.
🐬 De’Von Achane extension. The Dolphins’ star running back agreed to a four-year extension worth up to $68 million, making him the league’s third-highest-paid running back on a per-year basis. The 24-year-old led the league with 5.7 yards per carry in 2025.
📓 Florida investigates NFL. The state’s attorney general has ordered the league to supply documents related to the Rooney Rule and other programs, having claimed they violate Florida law. Details here.
🚑 Malik Nabers’ latest surgery. The Giants’ 22-year-old receiver underwent a second surgery on his knee to remove scar tissue. It sounds like he should be back for the season opener. Emphasis on should.
▶️ Monday’s most-clicked: Nick Baumgardner’s story on the biggest bargains from Day 3 of the draft.
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