INGLEWOOD — Eight months removed from a clunker of a loss to the New England Patriots in an AFC wild-card game that resulted in sweeping offseason changes, including the hiring of new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, the Chargers took the SoFi Stadium field Sunday and dropped another dud, 26-14 to the Arizona Cardinals in their 2026 season opener.
The Cardinals swept downfield on their first possession, with quarterback Jacoby Brissett leading Arizona on an 11-play, 70-yard drive that took 6:11 and resulted in a 5-yard touchdown run by rookie running back Jeremiyah Love. The Chargers responded with an eight-play, 77-yard drive.
That proved to be the problem.
The Chargers played catch-up from the start in their season-opening game.
They never did catch up to Brissett and the Cardinals, who gave new coach Mike LaFleur his first victory in the NFL as a head coach. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh went into the game with a 6-0 record in season-opening games, including 4-0 while with the San Francisco 49ers.
Chargers fans who lingered in the stadium in the final minutes booed heartily.
Arizona blocked a JK Scott punt and Brissett later threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Trey McBride to give the Cardinals a 23-14 lead with 11:44 left in the game. There was plenty of time for Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert to work his magic, but it didn’t happen.
The Cardinals wouldn’t let it.
Safety Andrew Wingard intercepted Herbert’s long pass intended for wide receiver Derius Davis at the Cardinals’ 5-yard line with 9:39 remaining. Herbert was operating at that point without injured receivers Ladd McConkey (chest) and KeAndre Lambert-Smith (hamstring) by then.
Herbert went 3-for-3 on the Chargers’ opening drive, capped by running back Omarion Hampton’s 9-yard run through traffic and into the end zone. Herbert’s completions all went to McConkey for a total of 60 yards as new McDaniel’s offense seemed to be clicking.
It was all the Chargers got in the half, though.
They didn’t get much more in the second half, either.
A second possession ended when Hampton had the ball knocked from his grasp by Wingard and teammate Will Johnson recovered at the Arizona 34-yard line with 13:22 left in the second quarter. Herbert started the game 4 for 4 for 72 yards before his first misfire.
Arizona padded its lead with field goals of 27 and 44 yards by Chad Ryland, the second of which came on the final play of the half and gave the Cardinals a 13-7 lead. Ryland also missed a 54-yard field goal on the second play of the second quarter. It had plenty of distance, and it might have been good from well beyond 60 yards, but glanced off the right goalpost.
The Chargers had a chance to take the lead in the closing moments of the half, but Herbert was sacked for a 10-yard loss on a fourth-and-goal play from the 3-yard line. A field goal, a chip shot for Cameron Dicker, could have tied the score 10-10 with just less than two minutes left in the half.
Ryland kicked a 34-yard field goal to put Arizona up 16-7 midway through the third. Herbert countered with an 8-yard touchdown pass to McConkey to cut it to 16-14 with 6:03 left in the third. Brissett’s touchdown pass to McBride made it 23-14.
Ex-Charger Simi Fehoko blocked Scott’s punt to set up Brissett’s TD pass.
More to come on this story.