The NFL’s biggest Week 1 upset landed in Los Angeles, where the Cardinals walked in as 9.5-point underdogs and walked out with a 26-14 win over the Chargers.
Nobody expected Arizona to leave with that kind of result. The spread was the largest on the board for Week 1, and the Chargers looked like the safer bet going in. Instead, the Cardinals flipped the script and turned a game plenty of people had already penciled in for Los Angeles into a statement win.
First-year Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur has to get a huge share of the credit for his team showing up ready to play. On the other side, Jim Harbaugh is now dealing with a very different kind of opening-week conversation after a flat performance from his team. Harbaugh had been 6-0 in Week 1 during his NFL coaching career before this one.
Jacoby Brissett handled the moment well for Arizona, going 27 of 37 for 277 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Trey McBride was his top target, catching nine passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. The Cardinals also made an unexpected choice on the ground, leaning on Tyler Allgeier instead of rookie Jeremiyah Love as their main runner.
Justin Herbert’s day never found its footing. He finished 17 of 27 for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and the Chargers’ run game never really got off the ground. Los Angeles also had another concern when wide receiver Ladd McConkey suffered a chest injury late and headed to the locker room.
Arizona had its own injury scare when safety Kitan Crawford was carted off in the fourth quarter, but the bigger picture belonged to the Cardinals. After a win like this, the message is clear: this team may be better than anyone thought.
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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.
For Los Angeles, the bigger concern was how little the offense sustained once the first possession was over. Turnovers and a ground game that never really got going left the Chargers chasing the game, and Justin Herbert spent too much of the day working without the balance and rhythm this roster needs if it is going to settle in under its new coach. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Offense Just Showed A Bigger Problem Than Fans Wanted
The Chargers home opener against the Cardinals turned into an early reality check, and not just because of the 26-14 final. Los Angeles had already been searching for rhythm on offense when wide receiver Ladd McConkey went down with a chest injury in the third quarter, and the timing only made the unraveling harder to ignore. What had been a shaky afternoon became a much tougher one once a key target left the mix.
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 🡒]