Arizona
Cardinals
0-0
21
FINAL
30
Los Angeles
Chargers
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling season opener, the Los Angeles Chargers held off the Arizona Cardinals with a final score of 30-21, kicking off their 2026 campaign on a high note. Both teams sought to establish early momentum, but it was the Chargers who emerged victorious in this exciting matchup.
Justin Herbert led the Chargers' offense with an impressive performance, throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns, showcasing his ability to make big plays when it mattered most. Meanwhile, Arizona's Jeremiyah Love made contributions on the ground with 62 rushing yards, while Xavier Legette shined in the passing game, racking up 133 receiving yards, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Chargers' offensive output.
On the defensive side, Donte Jackson's interception proved to be a pivotal moment, stifling a potential scoring drive from the Cardinals and shifting the momentum in favor of Los Angeles. Although Garrett Williams led the Cardinals with eight tackles and Darius Robinson added a sack, it was the Chargers' ability to capitalize on their defensive opportunities that ultimately secured the win. The Chargers' defense, combined with their explosive offense, set the tone for a promising start to the season.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Herbert | QB | 31 | 21 | 68% | 246 | 2 | 0 | 113.1 |
| Jaylen Cross | QB | 22 | 14 | 64% | 236 | 1 | 2 | 77.0 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiyah Love | HB | 11 | 62 | 5.6 | 12 | 1 | 16 | 0 |
| Omarion Hampton | HB | 13 | 52 | 4.0 | 13 | 1 | 18 | 0 |
| Jaylen Cross | QB | 4 | 29 | 7.3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 0 |
| Keaton Mitchell | HB | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Justin Herbert | QB | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Gotti Lamma | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ladd McConkey | WR | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ron Gottylamma | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xavier Legette | WR | 6 | 133 | 22.2 | 19 | 1 | 43 | 0 |
| Quentin Johnston | WR | 8 | 108 | 13.5 | 29 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| Ladd McConkey | WR | 5 | 61 | 12.2 | 14 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Tory Horton | WR | 3 | 55 | 18.3 | 24 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| Tre' Harris | WR | 4 | 36 | 9.0 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 0 |
| Jeremiyah Love | HB | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Ron Gottylamma | TE | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| Gotti Lamma | TE | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Elijah Higgins | TE | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Trey McBride | TE | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Omarion Hampton | HB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derwin James Jr | SS | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Garrett Williams | SS | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Sweat | REDG | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daiyan Henley | WILL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Darius Robinson | DT | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Donte Jackson | CB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Zaven Collins | LEDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Gibbens | MIKE | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Khalil Mack | REDG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elijah Molden | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mack Wilson Sr | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tuli Tuipulotu | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Akheem Mesidor | REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kitan Crawford | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Denzel Perryman | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dadrion Taylor-Demerson | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Will Johnson | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eku Leota | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaleb Proctor | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tarheeb Still | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Max Melton | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cody Simon | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Genesis Smith | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cam Hart | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chad Ryland | K | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cameron Dicker | K | 3 | 3 | 3 | 54 |
| JK Scott | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

