INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Arizona Cardinals upset the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.The teams traded rushing touchdowns in the first quarter, with rookie running back Jeremiyah Love notching the first score of his NFL career. With a chance to tie at 10 with two minutes left in the first half, Jim Harbaugh chose to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the Cardinals’ 3-yard line. The result was a sack of Justin Herbert and the Cardinals marched down for a field goal and a 13-7 halftime lead.It was special teams that stepped up for Arizona in the fourth quarter, when Simi Fehoko blocked a JK Scott punt and it was recovered at the Chargers’ 3-yard line with 12:28 remaining. That set up a Jacoby Brissett touchdown pass to Trey McBride for a 23-14 lead. Andrew Wingard’s interception of Herbert on the ensuing drive essentially sealed the win for the Cardinals.
Box score | Week 1 live blog | Game discussionAre the Cardinals better than everyone expected?It certainly looked like it. Entering Mike LaFleur’s first season as head coach, the Cardinals were expected to be among the NFL’s worst teams, if not the worst. The Athletic’s Austin Mock projected 4.4 wins, fewest in the NFL. Given Arizona’s schedule, which looks difficult, that sounded about right.Then came Sunday. It’s one game, but this at least changes the conversation and gives pause to those writing off the Cardinals. Maybe that lasts only a week or two, but it’s safe to say Arizona was a Week 1 surprise. Jacoby Brissett showed why teammates like playing with him so much — he doesn’t lock onto one receiver and spreads the ball around. Six receivers had catches, and three of them (Trey McBride, Kendrick Bourne and Michael Wilson) had at least five.Then there was the defense. GM Monti Ossenfort did little to upgrade a beat-up unit that fell apart during the second half of last season, betting that better health would lead to improvement. The Cardinals weren’t great Sunday — the pass rush remains a concern, especially with Josh Sweat contributing so little — but they made plays when it mattered. Defensive lineman Dante Stills had a huge fourth-down stop near the goal line. The Cardinals also forced two turnovers, blocked a punt and blanked the Chargers in the fourth quarter.An impressive, unexpected start, for sure. — Doug Haller.This story will be updated.
