Chargers Fall to Cardinals in Sloppy Season Opener at SoFi Stadium

The Los Angeles Chargers opened their season with a 26-14 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, a performance that left players and coaches openly dissatisfied. The game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood marked the first time new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel and new defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary called plays for the team in a regular-season game.

A crowd of 70,540 watched the Chargers, who were 9½-point favorites according to oddsmakers, trail from the start and never recover. Boos rang out late in the game. Safety Derwin James Jr. said the team "didn't come out to play," left tackle Rashawn Slater called the effort "uncharacteristic," and Coach Jim Harbaugh described it as "sloppy." Harbaugh had entered the day 6-0 in NFL season openers, including 4-0 with the San Francisco 49ers. Mike LaFleur, meanwhile, won in his debut as the Cardinals' head coach.

Arizona set the tone on its opening possession, an 11-play, 70-yard drive that lasted 6:11 and ended with a 5-yard touchdown run by rookie running back Jeremiyah Love. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett finished 27 of 37 for 277 yards and a touchdown, and was sacked once. Tight end Trey McBride caught nine passes on 13 targets for 95 yards, and the Chargers' soft coverage repeatedly left receivers open for short gains that kept drives alive. The Cardinals converted 6 of 14 third downs and held the ball for 37:31 to the Chargers' 22:29.

Los Angeles began promisingly, driving 77 yards on its first possession for an 8-yard touchdown run by Omarion Hampton. The offense could not sustain that momentum. Later in the first half, the Chargers turned the ball over on downs at the Arizona 3-yard line when Justin Herbert was sacked for a 10-yard loss. Hampton also fumbled in the second quarter, and the Chargers went 2 for 8 on third down and 0 for 3 on fourth down.

Herbert completed 17 of 27 passes for 209 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, and was sacked three times. His 8-yard touchdown pass to Ladd McConkey in the third quarter cut the deficit to 16-14 with 6:03 remaining. The biggest gain of the second half for the Chargers was a 48-yard pass interference penalty.

Special teams also hurt Los Angeles. Simi Fehoko, a former Chargers wide receiver, blocked a fourth-quarter punt by JK Scott, setting up Brissett's 3-yard touchdown pass to McBride. The Chargers were penalized seven times for 64 yards, while Arizona was flagged eight times for 111 yards. The defense, for all its problems, held up better than the offense: the Cardinals settled for four field goals from Chad Ryland, which proved the difference.

James, who led the team with 10 tackles, seven of them solo, said the game "just didn't feel right" and noted that the defense seemed to be on the field for the entire first quarter. "Get better from me," he said.

Herbert pointed to execution. "We've just got to score points in the red zone," he said, adding that the team failed on third down and committed too many turnovers. "We didn't play well enough." Harbaugh acknowledged "a lot of areas to get better at" but said the team understands it must bounce back.