Cardinals’ win over Chargers gives franchise much-needed hope

Overreaction Monday is an annual ritual in America. It always follows the opening weekend of NFL action.

Enjoy this one, Arizona.

The Cardinals shocked the experts and the oddsmakers in their 2026 debut, manhandling the Chargers 26-14 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The victory was as impressive as it was unexpected.

It was a tribute to Jacoby Brissett, who entered the 2026 season as one of the most underappreciated quarterbacks in football. Maybe it was all the reflexive hate from the Kyler Murray Stans in the Valley. Maybe it was Brissett standing on principle and demanding a better contract, even though he lost 11 of 12 games in 2025. But Brissett received a lot of shade from Valley sports fans at a time when anyone with eyes and a functioning brain could see all the good Brissett delivered to the Cardinals.

This victory was his redemption.

It was a tribute to Semi Fehoko, who made the team with passion, playmaking and reliability. His blocked punt on Sunday was a game changer.

It was a tribute to Mack Wilson Sr., whose absence was a primary for the defense’s collapse in 2025. His jarring shoulder tackle of Ladd McConkey not only took the best weapon out of the Chargers’ offense. It sent a heavy message to the other sideline that maybe the Cardinals are not to be trifled with in 2026. It was just like Kyzir White’s late hit against the Commanders’ Sam Howell in Jonathan Gannon’s head coaching debut.

It was a tribute to Tyler Allgeier and Kendrick Bourne, and of course, Trey McBride. The Chargers have a sensational safety (Derwin James) who locks up elite tight ends better than anyone in the business. McBride dominated all the big moments.

It was a tribute to Nick Rallis, the beleaguered defensive coordinator held over from the previous staff. Rallis and his defense rose to the moment on Sunday, a unit that was supposedly a lost cause.

It was a tribute to Mike LaFleur’s awesome debut. He was on point and in the moment. The operations were not flawless, and the Cardinals racked up 111 yards in penalties. But the play calling was coherent and effective, and LaFleur’s team showed great energy and competitive spirit. At one point, we all felt like LaFleur’s mother, who was seen in the stands clutching her hands in nervous excitement, praying her son could hold on until the finish line.

He did. He became the first non-interim Cardinals head coach to win his first game since Don Coryell in 1973. And apparently, there was a serious party in the visitors’ locker room after the game Sunday, full of music and dancing and general delirium.

“It’s like a circus in there right now,” McBride told the Cardinals’ postgame show.

Most of all, it’s a tribute to hope. We spend months of every NFL offseason trapped in narratives and nonsense. Then reality hits on opening weekend, our jaws drop and the new possibilities seem endless. Consider the change in our perspective: the Cardinals dominated an 11-win team from a year ago on the road, in a division where Sam Darnold is hurt and will likely miss a Week 2 matchup in Glendale, where Rams star Myles Garrett needs knee surgery.

Overreaction Monday is normally an angry day in Arizona. This one will hit like a cool breeze off the Pacific Ocean.

Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7.

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