Arizona
Cardinals
0-0
38
FINAL
34
Los Angeles
Chargers
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling season opener, the Arizona Cardinals narrowly defeated the Los Angeles Chargers with a final score of 38-34. Both teams came into Week 1 eager to set the tone for the 2026 season, but it was the Cardinals who emerged victorious in this high-scoring affair.
Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love was a standout, rushing for an impressive 120 yards, while tight end Trey McBride made his mark with 99 receiving yards. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert put on a show of his own, throwing for 331 yards and two touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to secure the win for Los Angeles.
Defensively, the game showcased a few key players, with Tony Jefferson leading the Chargers with 10 total tackles. However, it was Jack Gibbens of the Cardinals who made a crucial impact, recording a sack that shifted momentum late in the game. The turning point came when the Cardinals capitalized on a turnover, allowing them to maintain their slim lead in the final minutes.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Herbert | QB | 40 | 28 | 70% | 331 | 2 | 0 | 111.5 |
| Carson Beck | QB | 43 | 28 | 65% | 311 | 2 | 1 | 92.2 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiyah Love | HB | 13 | 120 | 9.2 | 64 | 2 | 30 | 0 |
| Omarion Hampton | HB | 18 | 73 | 4.1 | 30 | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| Justin Herbert | QB | 4 | 53 | 13.3 | 24 | 1 | 33 | 1 |
| Kimani Vidal | HB | 4 | 17 | 4.3 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Tyler Allgeier | HB | 5 | 17 | 3.4 | — | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Keaton Mitchell | HB | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Devin Duvernay | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| David Njoku | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trey McBride | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quentin Johnston | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oronde Gadsden | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Wilson | WR | 1 | -4 | -4.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trey McBride | TE | 8 | 99 | 12.4 | 36 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Kendrick Bourne | WR | 7 | 87 | 12.4 | 14 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| Ladd McConkey | WR | 9 | 86 | 9.6 | 18 | 2 | 19 | 0 |
| Quentin Johnston | WR | 5 | 85 | 17.0 | 23 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| David Njoku | TE | 5 | 61 | 12.2 | 27 | 0 | 24 | 0 |
| Michael Wilson | WR | 5 | 51 | 10.2 | 17 | 1 | 25 | 1 |
| Devin Duvernay | WR | 5 | 47 | 9.4 | 17 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Tre' Harris | WR | 1 | 23 | 23.0 | 6 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Oronde Gadsden | TE | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 13 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Kimani Vidal | HB | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 7 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Omarion Hampton | HB | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 18 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Tyler Scott | WR | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Brenen Thompson | WR | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | — | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Elijah Higgins | TE | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Keaton Mitchell | HB | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Jeremiyah Love | HB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Alec Ingold | FB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Jefferson | SS | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tarheeb Still | CB | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Gibbens | MIKE | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dadrion Taylor-Demerson | FS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Johnson | FS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Max Melton | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mack Wilson Sr | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derwin James Jr | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daiyan Henley | WILL | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Walter Nolen III | DT | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elijah Molden | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shaq Thompson | WILL | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Zaven Collins | LEDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mike Sainristil | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Denzel Burke | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Budda Baker | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Akheem Mesidor | REDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Teair Tart | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Donte Jackson | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaleb Proctor | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Hart | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Sweat | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tuli Tuipulotu | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Denzel Perryman | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JK Scott | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chad Ryland | K | 1 | 1 | 5 | 55 |
| Cameron Dicker | K | 2 | 3 | 4 | 33 |

