Brissett, Cardinals Stun Chargers 26-14

Jacoby Brissett threw for 277 yards and a touchdown as the Arizona Cardinals stunned the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, handing Mike LaFleur a head-coaching debut win over Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers were 9.5-point favorites, the biggest Week 1 spread in the league, and still never led.

That is an upset fantasy rooms will screenshot. Brissett went 27 of 37 with no interceptions. Trey McBride piled up nine catches for 95 yards and the sealing score. Streamers who trusted Arizona's road dog just got paid. SoFi expected a Harbaugh statement; instead it got a Cardinals possession clinic and a blocked punt that flipped the fourth.

LaFleur's debut, Ryland's four field goals

LaFleur became the first Cardinals coach to win his debut since Don Coryell in 1973. Chad Ryland made four field goals and missed a 54-yarder off the upright. Jeremiyah Love, the No. 3 overall pick, scored on a 5-yard run. McBride's 3-yard touchdown after a blocked punt pushed Arizona ahead 23-14 in the fourth.

Justin Herbert finished 17 of 27 for 209 yards with an 8-yard touchdown to Ladd McConkey, one interception, and three sacks. Omarion Hampton's touchdown run tied it at 7 early. Then Arizona owned the clock.

Fourth-quarter collapse for the favorites

The Cardinals held the ball 37:31 to 22:29 and outgained Los Angeles 393-268. In the fourth the Chargers had a blocked punt, Herbert's interception, a turnover on downs at the 3, and another downs stop late. Arizona never needed a late miracle after Ryland's final kick made it 26-14.

Arizona scored on its opening drive and never trailed after Love's early punch. Herbert's red-zone sack before halftime and the fourth-quarter turnover parade turned a home favorite into a road dog story. McBride's volume (nine catches, 95 yards) is the fantasy takeaway for tight-end rooms that needed a ceiling week against a Harbaugh defense. Ryland's four makes kept the scoreboard climbing even when Arizona settled for field goals instead of punches.

Next week the Cardinals host the Seahawks. The Chargers host the Raiders. Streamers who trusted Brissett as a desperation QB1 just got the upset box score they needed. Chargers fans who came expecting a statement opener left with a blocked punt and an empty fourth.

Two hundred seventy-seven yards. Zero picks. Twenty-six to fourteen. That is the Cardinals' Week 1 stunner.