Cardinals defeat Chargers 26-14 to open 2026 NFL season

For Cardinals fans in Tucson and across Arizona, the 2026 season began with a result that immediately changes the tone around a team coming off one of its most difficult years. Arizona defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, earning a road victory against a heavily favored opponent and giving new head coach Mike LaFleur a win in his first game. The Cardinals controlled most of the afternoon, led from start to finish, and finished the opening week with a performance that showed far more stability than last season’s injury-plagued three-win campaign.

Jacoby Brissett directed an efficient Arizona offense, passing for 277 yards and one touchdown. Tight end Trey McBride was his most productive target, catching nine passes for 95 yards and a score. Rookie running back Jeremiyah Love also reached the end zone for the first time in his NFL career, scoring on a five-yard run in the first quarter. Love, selected third overall, used a stiff arm near the left corner of the end zone to finish Arizona’s first scoring drive.

The victory carried significance beyond the opening-week standings. LaFleur became the first Cardinals head coach to win his debut since Don Coryell did so in 1973. Coryell later coached the Chargers from 1978 through 1986, adding an unusual connection to a game that already represented a major first for Arizona’s new leader. LaFleur also won in the same stadium where he coached his final game as the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator last year. Arizona hired him in February, and he arrived with 16 new assistants and 18 new players.

The Cardinals’ advantage was reflected in how much of the game they controlled. Arizona held the ball for 37 minutes, ran 72 offensive plays compared with 51 for Los Angeles, and gained 393 yards to the Chargers’ 268. That sustained possession limited the opportunities for Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and helped Arizona maintain its lead even when Los Angeles narrowed the margin in the third quarter.

Chad Ryland supplied four field goals for the Cardinals. He made kicks from 27, 42, and 34 yards, among them a late second-quarter field goal that extended Arizona’s lead to 13-7. His only miss came on a 54-yard attempt that struck the right upright in the second quarter. Ryland’s kicking became especially important as Arizona repeatedly turned long possessions into points and prevented the Chargers from drawing even.

Arizona went ahead early when Love scored on the opening possession. Los Angeles answered with a nine-yard touchdown run by Omarion Hampton, who reached the end zone after initially being stopped near the five-yard line and continuing through contact from several Cardinals defenders. Arizona moved back in front with Ryland’s 27-yard field goal, then added another three points after Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was sacked by Dante Stills on fourth down at the goal line with two minutes left in the first half. A 15-yard face mask penalty against Paris Johnson Jr. helped set up Ryland’s 42-yarder.

The Cardinals stretched their lead to 16-7 after forcing a Los Angeles punt on the first possession of the second half. The Chargers responded with Herbert’s eight-yard touchdown pass to Ladd McConkey, who barely reached the corner of the end zone. Los Angeles benefited from a 48-yard defensive pass interference penalty against Arizona’s Max Melton on the drive, but the Chargers could not complete the comeback.

The fourth quarter belonged to Arizona’s defense and to a series of costly breakdowns by Los Angeles. The Chargers’ first three possessions ended with a blocked punt, an interception of Herbert, and a turnover on downs at the Arizona three-yard line after Los Angeles failed on fourth-and-goal. The Chargers turned the ball over on downs again with less than two minutes remaining, ending their last realistic opportunity to change the result. Herbert completed 17 of 27 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw an interception and was sacked three times.

The outcome was a sharp reversal of the expectations surrounding the matchup. Los Angeles entered as a nine-and-a-half-point favorite, the largest favorite in the NFL during the first week, and had won 11 games and reached the playoffs in each of Jim Harbaugh’s first two seasons as Chargers coach. Harbaugh instead opened his third season with a loss, while Arizona ended a long road drought against Los Angeles. The Cardinals had not won at the Chargers since 2001. For Tucson supporters watching the new-look team begin a season filled with changes, the 26-14 result offered an encouraging first measure of what LaFleur’s rebuilt roster can do.