Cardinals 26, Chargers 14: LaFleur Wins His First One on the Road

September 13, 2026 - Inglewood - Arizona opened as the week's biggest underdog. Jeremiyah Love stiff-armed Cam Hart in the left corner on the first possession, and the underdog never trailed.

Jacoby Brissett completed 27 of 37 for 277 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. The Arizona Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 at SoFi Stadium in Mike LaFleur's head-coaching debut. Chad Ryland made four field goals. Trey McBride caught nine balls for 95 yards and the only Arizona passing score. It was the Cardinals' first road win against the Chargers since 2001.

Brissett, after the game: "I'm just so happy that we were able to go on the road and get a win." Arizona added 18 new players in the offseason. The first Sunday looked like complementary football, not a three-win hangover.

Love from 5, then a stop at the goal line

Love, the No. 3 overall pick, finished the opening 11-play, 70-yard drive from 5 yards. 7-0. Omarion Hampton answered from 8, dragging Cardinals with him after contact at the 5. 7-7.

Ryland from 27 made it 10-7. Then Justin Herbert faced fourth-and-goal before the half. Dante Stills sacked him. Arizona took over, and Ryland hit from 44 as time expired. 13-7.

Ryland added a 34-yarder in the third. 16-7. Herbert found Ladd McConkey from 8 yards, helped by Max Melton's 48-yard defensive pass interference. McConkey got a foot in the corner. 16-14.

That was Los Angeles' last score. McBride caught a 3-yard touchdown from Brissett in the fourth. 23-14. Ryland from 49 closed it at 26-14. His only miss was a 54-yarder that hit the right upright in the second quarter.

37 minutes, 393 yards, no punts until the third

Arizona held the ball 37:31. The Cardinals outgained the Chargers 393-268, per the club-side wrap, and did not punt until the third quarter. They did not turn it over. Kendrick Bourne caught eight for 75. Tyler Allgeier ran 17 times for 61. Love added 11 carries for 41 and the opening score. The backfield duo combined for 102 rushing yards.

Herbert completed 17 of 27 for 209 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. McConkey led Los Angeles with five catches for 82 and the score. Hampton ran 12 times for 43. The Chargers went 2-for-8 on third down and 0-for-3 on fourth. Arizona had three sacks and two takeaways. Simi Fehoko blocked a punt. Jim Harbaugh's opener never found a second gear after Hampton's run.

Nick Rallis' defense, the one that took heat all offseason, held a Herbert offense under 270 yards and got the goal-line stop that flipped the half. LaFleur's first game as a head coach was a road win against a club that expected to contend. Arizona is 1-0.

AthX Engine on an underdog Sunday

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 1 lines in. Wingard's interception lands at 54.00, the top total in this game. McBride's nine catches and a touchdown are 43.25. Tight ends get extra points per catch on this card. Ryland's four makes are 34.00. Stills' sack is 34.00. Brissett is 31.66. Arizona's team line is 75.50, 10th on the Week 1 board.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay after a 26-14 road win that started as the week's longest shot. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track McBride, Brissett, Herbert, and both clubs on the marketplace. Seattle visits Arizona on Sept. 20. Las Vegas visits the Chargers that afternoon.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), NFL game summary, Cards Wire. AthX Engine Week 1 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats. Information only; not financial advice.*