ARIZONA - The Cardinals wasted no time changing the conversation in Week 1.
Arizona is 1-0 after 60 minutes of football, and the opener gave fans one of the more convincing victories they’ve seen from this team in recent memory. It wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t a blowout from start to finish, but the Cardinals looked sharp on both sides of the ball and handled the Chargers in a way few expected.
That kind of result always brings a jump in the power rankings, and Arizona moved up accordingly after the upset. The bigger question now is whether that performance can carry into Week 2, where the Cardinals face the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, though Seattle will be without Sam Darnold this week.
A number of national voices took notice of what Arizona did in Los Angeles. Josh Weinfuss pointed to the Cardinals’ receiving depth, noting that “The Cardinals' third WR threat and fourth receiving option had the second-best day Sunday, behind only TE Trey McBride .
Bourne signed a two-year deal with Arizona in March and reunited with Mike LaFleur, who coached him in San Francisco from 2017 to 2020. It translated to Bourne catching all eight of his targets for 75 yards.”
Pete Prisco credited the new head coach for the result, saying, “Give new coach Mike LaFleur credit for pulling off the upset of the Chargers. Maybe this team will be better than expected.”
Conor Orr framed Arizona as the surprise of the opening weekend: “The Cardinals are the team of the opening weekend-the one that bucked a narrative that became so commonplace across the NFL that it cemented without a single person asking their permission. I think we all counted out Arizona because of the collective hype around the rest of the division. Because of this, we discounted the fact that the Cardinals actually have some decent players and aren’t going to be a pushover amid the March for Arch.”
Nick Shook called it the week’s biggest shock and said, “The upset of the week belongs to Arizona, a team most everyone counted out in the opener at Los Angeles. As it turns out, we were all wrong; Mike LaFleur's group played inspired, fearless football, taking the fight to the Chargers and outplaying them in every facet. Enjoy the triumphant debut, Cardinals fans.”
Chad Graff and Josh Kendall also moved from skepticism to cautious optimism after seeing Arizona control the game. “Last week, it was hard to pick between the Cardinals and Dolphins for the last spot on this list.
That’s how much we thought of the Cardinals, who proceeded to go out and beat the Chargers in a game they controlled throughout. Skepticism remains, but that was a promising start for coach Mike LaFleur.”
Ralph Vacchiano was blunt about how far Arizona went in flipping expectations: “Where did that come from? The Cardinals shut down QB Justin Herbert and thoroughly beat a Chargers team some think is a sleeper Super Bowl contender. So much for predictions of an 0-13 start.”
Frank Schwab added that the defense backed up the result with production, writing, “Arizona was eighth in EPA (expected points added) allowed per play through Sunday's Week 1 games. The Cardinals were projected to have one of the NFL's worst defenses this season, but that wasn't the case in the opener. A matchup against the Seahawks now looks more interesting.”
In Other News...
Cardinals Suddenly Have A Safety Depth Problem They Cant Ignore
Kitan Crawfords Week 1 injury quickly turned into more than a one-game setback for Arizona. The Cardinals safety was carted off the field with a mid-ankle sprain and has now been placed on injured reserve with a designation to return, which means he has to sit out at least four weeks while the team waits for him to work his way back.
For a defense already dealing with injury issues in the safety room, the timing is the real problem. Arizona had been counting on depth at the position to hold up early in the season, but Crawfords absence narrows the margin even further, and his expected return by Week 6 only underscores how long the Cardinals may need to manage without much help back there. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks QB Decision Just Changed Everything For Cardinals Week
Sam Darnold is officially out for Seattles upcoming game against the Cardinals after suffering a soft-tissue glute tendon injury, and the absence changes the tone of a divisional matchup that already carried plenty of weight. The Seahawks are not planning to place him on injured reserve, but his status leaves Drew Lock in line to start when Seattle meets Arizona.
For the Cardinals, the quarterback switch adds a different kind of prep this week, even if the opponent remains the same on the schedule. Arizona now has to account for a Seattle offense with a different trigger man under center, and those kinds of adjustments can matter in a division game where every edge is magnified. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Secondary Shakeup Starts With Another Injury Move
The Cardinals secondary adjustments started in Tempe with another roster shuffle tied to injury, as Arizona placed a safety and special teams contributor on injured reserve and moved cornerback Kalen King up from the practice squad to the active roster. The move comes at a time when the back end of the defense has been under steady pressure to stay together, and every transaction seems to carry a little more weight than the last.
Arizona also added some depth behind the scenes, signing cornerback Art Green and safety Jerrick Reed II to the practice squad while releasing wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette. For a team trying to keep its defensive backfield functional and its special teams options flexible, the latest round of moves suggests the Cardinals are still piecing things together as they sort through the latest injury hit. [Read more 🡒]