Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers

Cardinals beat Chargers 26-14 as Mike LaFleur wins his head coaching debut

Surprise!

Led by rookie head coach Mike LaFleur, the Cardinals defeated the Jim Harbaugh-led Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 on Sunday.

LaFleur became the first Cardinals coach to win his debut since Don Coryell in 1973. He won in the same SoFi Stadium where he worked his final game as the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator last year before being hired by Arizona in February.

“These last few days have been almost miserable waiting,” he said. “Just really happy for those guys.”

LaFleur spent his first 12 years in the NFL toiling as an assistant with five different teams. His older brother, Matt, is starting his eighth season as head coach of the Green Bay Packers. Harbaugh's older brother, Jim, coaches the New York Giants.

Jacoby Brissett threw for 277 yards and a touchdown for Arizona, which added 18 new players and several new assistants.

“I’m just so happy that we were able to go on the road and get a win,” Brissett said. “As a starting quarterback, it’s like, ‘Whew!’”

The Chargers were the NFL's heaviest favorite by 9 1/2 points, but they played from behind the entire game and had a miserable fourth quarter.

“It’s not the start that we wanted, but credit to the Cardinals,” Harbaugh said. “It’ll be about our resolve, the way we bounce back.”

Chad Ryland had four field goals as the Cardinals won on the road against the Chargers for the first time since 2001. His only miss was a 54-yarder when the ball hit the right upright in the second quarter.

The Chargers made a mess of the fourth quarter. On their first three possessions, they had a blocked punt, Justin Herbert was intercepted and Los Angeles turned the ball over on downs on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line. They had another turnover on downs with less than 2 minutes remaining.

“It’s understood that every first week is kind of like a training camp game,” linebacker Daiyan Henley said. “You never know what’s going to come at you, but you got to be prepared for anything.”

Herbert was 17 of 27 for 209 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and was sacked three times.

“They played well, but it’s on us to play better,” Herbert said. “We didn’t play the way we wanted to.”

The Cardinals dominated possession, 37 minutes to 22, and ran 72 plays to 51 for the Chargers and compiled 393 yards of offense to 268.

Arizona scored on its first possession when Jeremiyah Love, the No. 3 overall pick, stiff-armed Cam Hart in the left corner of the end zone for a 5-yard TD run.

The Chargers answered with a 9-yard TD run by Omarion Hampton. He got stoned at the 5-yard line, but kept going as four Cardinals failed to stop him, tying it at 7.

Arizona led 10-7 on Ryland's 27-yard field goal in the second.

Herbert got sacked by Dante Stills on fourth-and-goal with two minutes left before halftime. The Cardinals got a 42-yarder by Ryland after Paris Johnson Jr.'s 15-yard face mask penalty to lead 13-7.

After the Chargers were forced to punt on their first possession of the third, Arizona got a 34-yarder by Ryland to extend its lead to 16-7.

Los Angeles closed to 16-14 on Herbert's 8-yard pass to Ladd McConkey, who barely got into the corner of the end zone. The Chargers were helped by Max Melton's 48-yard defensive pass interference penalty.

Injuries Chargers: McConkey took a hard hit to his hip in the third quarter. S Elijah Molden injured a hamstring.

Up next Cardinals: Host defending Super Bowl champion Seattle next Sunday.

Chargers: Host Las Vegas next Sunday.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

How can I watch Cardinals vs. Chargers?

• TV Channel: Cardinals at Chargers 2021-22 NFL, week 1 is broadcasted nationally on CBS - <a class="linkUn" href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/YgbeJm" rel="sponsored noopener" target="_blank">Paramount+ NFL on CBS 2021 - Try it FREE!</a>.
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