A fourth quarter that broke the Chargers
Arizona trailed the scoreboard narrative all afternoon and led 16-14 entering the fourth quarter. Then Simi Fehoko came clean through the middle and blocked a Chargers punt deep in Los Angeles territory. Two plays later Jacoby Brissett found Trey McBride for a three-yard touchdown, Daniel Carlson converted, and the game moved out of one score.
Andrew Wingard, an undrafted safety in his eighth season, picked off a deep Justin Herbert throw on the next possession. Arizona forced a turnover on downs with four minutes left. Los Angeles failed to reach Cardinals territory on four straight fourth-quarter drives and scored seven points after halftime. Final score 26-14.
Mike LaFleur becomes the first non-interim head coach in Arizona to win his opening game since Don Coryell in 1973. The win also ended a nine-game losing streak carried over from last season.
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Brissett runs a balanced offense
Arizona called 34 runs against 37 pass plays and gained close to 400 yards. The first punt did not come until 2:47 remained in the third quarter. Brissett went 27 of 37 for 277 yards and a touchdown, throwing quickly and accurately on a night that justified his reworked contract.
McBride took 13 targets and turned them into nine catches for 95 yards and the score. Kendrick Bourne caught all eight of his. Marvin Harrison Jr. saw three targets and caught one. In the backfield, Tyler Allgeier carried 17 times for 61 yards while rookie Jeremiyah Love took 11 for 41 including a five-yard touchdown run, forcing six missed tackles on his first day in the league.
Herbert and McDaniel start slowly
The first look at Herbert under Mike McDaniel produced an opening 77-yard scoring drive and then very little. He finished 17 of 27 for 209 yards with a touchdown, an interception and three sacks. Ladd McConkey caught five for 82 yards and scored from eight yards out before a chest injury took him off late in the third quarter.
Without him the Chargers had no reliable target on third down, converting twice in eight attempts and missing all three fourth-down tries. They lost the time of possession battle by fifteen minutes. That is a lot of football to watch from the sideline in Week 1.
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