Arizona
Cardinals
0-0
14
FINAL
37
Los Angeles
Chargers
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Los Angeles Chargers kicked off their 2026 season with a commanding 37-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. With both teams looking to make an early statement, the Chargers showcased their dominance both offensively and defensively, setting a strong tone for the rest of the season.
Leading the charge for Los Angeles was quarterback Justin Herbert, who threw for an impressive 369 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with Brenen Thompson, who racked up 148 receiving yards, making for a potent aerial attack. Meanwhile, Omarion Hampton contributed on the ground with 60 rushing yards, helping to keep the Cardinals' defense off balance throughout the game.
Defensively, the Chargers were relentless, with Akheem Mesidor recording two sacks, putting pressure on the Cardinal's offense all game long. Derwin James Jr. added an interception that shifted momentum and solidified the Chargers' lead. The turning point came in the second quarter when James's pick set up another touchdown drive, pushing the Chargers ahead and leaving Arizona struggling to keep pace.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Herbert | QB | 41 | 29 | 71% | 369 | 3 | 1 | 112.7 |
| Jacoby Brissett | QB | 42 | 23 | 55% | 287 | 0 | 2 | 56.3 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omarion Hampton | HB | 12 | 60 | 5.0 | 25 | 1 | 23 | 0 |
| Tyler Allgeier | HB | 7 | 39 | 5.6 | 17 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Keaton Mitchell | HB | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | 19 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Jeremiyah Love | HB | 9 | 20 | 2.2 | — | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Justin Herbert | QB | 5 | 17 | 3.4 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Jacoby Brissett | QB | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Kimani Vidal | HB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Brenen Thompson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ladd McConkey | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Wilson | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oronde Gadsden | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brenen Thompson | WR | 10 | 148 | 14.8 | 71 | 2 | 70 | 0 |
| Ladd McConkey | WR | 8 | 112 | 14.0 | 55 | 1 | 47 | 0 |
| Marvin Harrison Jr | WR | 6 | 105 | 17.5 | 15 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Oronde Gadsden | TE | 7 | 94 | 13.4 | 41 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Michael Wilson | WR | 6 | 81 | 13.5 | 25 | 0 | 24 | 3 |
| Trey McBride | TE | 7 | 66 | 9.4 | 17 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Kendrick Bourne | WR | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | — | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Elijah Higgins | TE | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| David Njoku | TE | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Alec Ingold | FB | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Omarion Hampton | HB | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daiyan Henley | WILL | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mack Wilson Sr | MIKE | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Akheem Mesidor | REDG | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Garrett Williams | CB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Derwin James Jr | SS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Budda Baker | SS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tarheeb Still | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Nick Barrett | DT | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Johnson | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dadrion Taylor-Demerson | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Gibbens | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Elijah Molden | FS | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Khalil Mack | REDG | 1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elandon Roberts | MIKE | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Hart | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Donte Jackson | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Roy Lopez | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andrew Wingard | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cody Simon | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elijah Jones | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sebastian Joseph-Day | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Troy Dye | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Justin Eboigbe | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Denzel Perryman | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Teair Tart | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Karson Sharar | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Sweat | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tuli Tuipulotu | LEDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zaven Collins | LEDG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chad Ryland | K | 2 | 2 | 0 | 54 |
| Cameron Dicker | K | 3 | 3 | 4 | 38 |

