The Cardinals walked into Los Angeles and turned Week 1 on its head, beating the Chargers 26-14 in a result few saw coming. Arizona, a team many expected to struggle this season, left with a win powered by Jacoby Brissett, rookie running back Jeremiyah Love and a defense that kept finding ways to make life miserable for the home team.
For the Chargers, it was the kind of opener that leaves a lot of questions hanging in the air. Los Angeles came in with Super Bowl aspirations after bringing in Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator, but the offense never found a rhythm and finished with just 14 points.
Arizona set the tone immediately. On the game’s first possession, the Cardinals rolled 70 yards down the field and Love finished the drive with his first NFL touchdown to make it 7-0. The Chargers answered with a touchdown of their own, and after Arizona missed a field goal, it looked briefly like Los Angeles had settled in.
That feeling didn’t last.
Omarion Hampton coughed up the ball in Cardinals territory, wiping out a promising chance for the Chargers. Arizona took advantage by putting together a field-goal drive to grab a 10-7 lead midway through the second quarter.
The Cardinals carried a three-point edge into halftime, and while the Chargers had the ball first after the break, they managed only 19 yards before punting. Arizona responded with another field goal to stretch the margin to six.
Los Angeles did punch back. The Chargers put together a touchdown drive to move ahead 14-13 midway through the third quarter, and for a stretch both teams traded punts. Then came the turning point: Arizona blocked a Chargers punt and got the ball deep in Los Angeles territory, then cashed it in for a touchdown.
That sequence pushed the Cardinals in front 20-14 and put the Chargers in chase mode. Justin Herbert then threw his only interception of the day on a deep attempt, and Arizona made it count with a field goal on the next possession.
Down 23-14 with time running out, Los Angeles didn’t have enough left to recover. The Cardinals added one more field goal to finish off the 26-14 upset.
It was a rough night for the Chargers on both sides of the ball, but especially on special teams, where the blocked punt changed the game. Arizona, meanwhile, came away with a win that gave Mike LaFleur his first victory as head coach.
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Chargers Already Face An Ugly Harbaugh Backlash After Week 1
The Chargers opened their season at home with a 26-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, and the mood around the team turned quickly afterward. Jim Harbaugh made it clear he was disappointed in the performance, with the defense drawing particular concern, as the Chargers left Week 1 with more questions than answers after a game they expected to handle better.
Breiden Fehoko added to the noise with criticism of Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz on social media, putting roster choices under the microscope almost immediately. It is the kind of early backlash that can linger if the Chargers do not steady things fast, and there is not much time to reset before a visit from the Las Vegas Raiders. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Debut Under Mike McDaniel Raised A Justin Herbert Concern
The Chargers opened their Mike McDaniel era at SoFi Stadium with hope after an early scoring drive, but the rest of the afternoon tilted hard in Arizonas favor. The Cardinals left with a 26-14 win behind a rookie rushing touchdown from Jeremiyah Love, a blocked punt by Simi Fehoko that turned into points, and an interception by Andrew Wingard that helped close the door.
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Chargers Offense Just Showed A Bigger Problem Than Fans Wanted
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Jim Harbaugh acknowledged afterward how difficult it was to lose McConkey in the middle of the game, and the comment spoke to a bigger concern for the Chargers than one bad result. This offense is still trying to establish consistency, and the opener showed how thin the margin can be when one of its most important pass catchers is unavailable. With the season just getting started, the question now is how quickly Los Angeles can steady itself if McConkeys absence lingers. [Read more 🡒]