Mike LaFleur has chance to change conversation about Cardinals after besting Sean McVay, Rams

Victories in the NFL are like air fresheners in automobiles. They remove all odors, and they last about a week.

It’s no different with Mike LaFleur and the Arizona Cardinals.

After a gritty divisional win over the Rams on Sunday, the rookie head coach is enjoying a much-deserved moment in the sun. His team is 2-2 on the road and 2-0 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

He is one play removed from conquering both Harbaugh brothers. On Sunday, he beat his mentor on his first attempt, besting future Hall of Famer Sean McVay.

The best tribute might’ve come from Cardinals wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, who posted the following on Instagram:

“Them boys ain’t the same wit out LaFleur.”

Bourne is mostly trolling. But he’s not lying. LaFleur was McVay’s top assistant for the previous three seasons. Before Sunday’s game, McVay said he loves Mike and talks to him all the time. And Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was even more generous in his praise.

“I think he’s a fantastic coach,” Stafford told the L.A. media. “I have a great relationship with him. A ton of respect for Mike, what he’s meant in my career, and being a part of the staff here when I was playing. I have a ton of trust that he’ll get that thing going over there pretty darn quick. Fired up to go play against him and see him.”

The NFL is full of top assistants who make a great impact on the game yet never receive full credit until they’re gone. It happened when Ben Johnson left the Lions. It happened when Liam Coen left the Buccaneers. It happened with Kellen Moore, who was 18-3 as offensive coordinator for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. It happened when Klayton Adams left the Cardinals to become an OC in Dallas. And it’s happening now with Ravens head coach Jesse Minter, who was 22-14 as defensive coordinator of the Chargers. Jim Harbaugh hasn’t won since he left.

Nobody is suggesting that McVay is not worthy of his rock star status. But his team was heavy favorites to win the Super Bowl in 2026. Instead, they are now 2-4 and in last place in the NFC West.

And he is now 5-9 against former assistants, with six of those losses coming against the LaFleur brothers.

Maybe LaFleur had an advantage on Sunday, benefiting from deep inside knowledge of the Rams’ offensive tendencies. Or maybe he really is the head coach we desperately need, the one we’ve been searching for since Bruce Arians.

This much is certain: After a runaway loss to the Lions, LaFleur vowed to never let that kind of game happen again. The collective media rolled their eyes in unison, having heard those very words many times before.

But LaFleur delivered. After uncomfortable conversations, he let Nick Rallis unleash a hyper-aggressive, high-risk defense that set the tone for the entire game. And if LaFleur finds a way to beat the Broncos on Larry Fitzgerald Day in the Valley, he will have changed the conversation overnight, much to the benefit of the two bosses above him.

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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