Brissett's 277 yards guide Cardinals past Chargers 26-14 in opener

Jacoby Brissett opened Mike LaFleur's head-coaching tenure the way a road underdog dreams of starting a season. The Cardinals quarterback completed 27 of 37 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions Sunday at SoFi Stadium, and Arizona beat the Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 in Week 1.

The Associated Press reported Brissett's line and quoted him saying he was happy the club could go on the road and get a win. Per ESPN and CBS Sports box scores, he posted a 103.1 passer rating and added six carries for 14 yards. ESPN's box matches that line.

A debut that never trailed for long

Rookie running back Jeremiyah Love scored on a 5-yard run to open the scoring. Chad Ryland added field goals of 27, 44, 34 and 49 yards - going 4-for-5 after a 54-yard miss off the upright, the AP noted - to keep Arizona ahead after Omarion Hampton's answering touchdown for Los Angeles.

Brissett's biggest finishing throw came after a blocked punt set Arizona up at the Chargers' 3 in the fourth. He found Trey McBride for a 3-yard touchdown that made it 23-14. McBride finished with nine catches for 95 yards and that score, per the box. Ryland's 49-yarder later sealed the final margin.

Controlling the clock against a heavy favorite

Arizona held the ball for 37:31 to Los Angeles' 22:29, ran 72 plays to 51, and outgained the Chargers 393-268, according to team totals. Justin Herbert completed 17 of 27 for 209 yards with a touchdown and an interception and was sacked three times. The Chargers' fourth quarter included a blocked punt, Herbert's interception and two turnovers on downs, the AP reported.

LaFleur became the first Cardinals coach to win his debut since Don Coryell in 1973, the AP noted. The Chargers entered as heavy favorites. Arizona hosts Seattle next Sunday.

Brissett's afternoon was measured as much in possession as in highlight throws. Completing 73 percent without a turnover against a defense that arrived with Super Bowl expectations is the practical definition of a winning opener. Love's early touchdown and Ryland's four makes supplied the points; Brissett supplied the continuous drive that kept Los Angeles chasing.

For a Cardinals roster remade after a three-win season, that combination turned a predicted mismatch into a 26-14 statement on the road.

The quarterback's own postgame relief, captured by the AP, fit the stakes. A new staff, 18 new players and a debut on the road against Jim Harbaugh's Chargers left little room for a quiet start. Brissett did not deliver quiet. He delivered 277 yards, a red-zone touchdown to McBride and a clock that rarely tilted back toward Los Angeles.

Arizona hosts the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks next Sunday. Whatever that rematch brings, Brissett already has the first data point of the LaFleur era: a complete road win built on completion percentage, clock control and one red-zone strike when the blocked punt handed him the shortest field of the day.

Sources

ESPN

ESPN