Cardinals beat Chargers 26-14 as Mike LaFleur wins head coaching debut
The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 on Sept. 13, 2026, in Los Angeles, giving Mike LaFleur a victory in his head coaching debut. The win came in Week 1 after Arizona entered the season as one of the NFL’s biggest underdogs, according to ESPN. The Cardinals relied on short-yardage touchdowns and a productive day from their kicker to secure the road victory.
Arizona opened the scoring when Jeremiyah Love ran for a 5-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and Los Angeles answered on an 8-yard run by Omarion Hampton later in the period. Kicker Chad Ryland connected on a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 44-yarder as time expired to give Arizona a 13-7 halftime lead. The Cardinals used the kicking game to turn several drives into points in the first half.
Ryland added a 34-yard field goal early in the third quarter before Justin Herbert connected with Ladd McConkey on an 8-yard touchdown that pulled the Chargers within two. Jacoby Brissett threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Trey McBride early in the fourth quarter to push Arizona ahead 23-14, and Ryland’s 49-yard field goal with 2:33 remaining closed out the scoring. The Cardinals improved to 1-0 to open the season.
NFL Sports Blog Take
LaFleur’s debut underscored Arizona’s reliance on a reliable kicking game and short-yardage offense, with Jeremiyah Love and Trey McBride supplying the touchdowns and Chad Ryland accounting for four field goals and two extra points. The Chargers showed they could move the ball, as Justin Herbert led a scoring drive in the second half, but Los Angeles struggled to finish drives in the red zone. Arizona’s ability to convert stalled Chargers drives into field-goal attempts proved decisive in a close road game. The Cardinals earned a Week 1 win, but they will need more consistent offensive production if they expect to build on it.