THE STORY: LOS ANGELES -- The last time a Cardinals head coach won his first game in his tenure, Mike LaFleur wasn't yet born.

In fact, LaFleur was born 14 years after Don Coryell won his Cardinals debut in 1973.

But, after 12 coaches weren't able to pull it off, LaFleur did on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, leading his team to a solid 26-14 victory over the Chargers to open the 2026 season. And there LaFleur stood at the podium postgame – talking about how maybe he'd reflect on such a feat next July.

"I told the guys, 'Humility is a day away in this league,'" LaFleur said, adding that mostly, he was proud of his team – a team that, outside, hasn't received much respect – and that more than anything, it was finally a chance to play after weeks of preseason prep.

"The wait," LaFleur said. "The last few days have been miserable."

Sunday was anything but.

Rookie running back Jeremiyah Love made his debut and scored the Cardinals' first touchdown of the season, the passing game looked as effective as it had been in the preseason, safety Andrew Wingard forced two turnovers, and the special teams added a Simi Fehoko blocked punt.

Oh, and Trey McBride, if anyone was wondering, remains the team's best player and best tight end in the league.

That defense, though. Allowing just 14 points to QB Justin Herbert and new playcaller Mike McDaniel was significant. Wingard was unhinged in a good way, bringing the fire that he promised he would, making a big interception and forcing a fumble that prevented the Chargers (0-1) from answering a Cardinals field goal early in the game.

The unit, led by coordinator Nick Rallis, might be ignoring the noise, but Wingard made it plain he wouldn't.

"Everyone has been trashing this defense, trashing coach Rallis," Wingard said. "It's like … I'm going to polite and not say what I want to say, but -- it's not gratifying because it'd only be gratifying if you cared about it, but I'm just happy for all these guys."

The Chargers had only 268 yards and only 81 rushing yards.

"The defense," Brissett said, "played a hell of a game."

The offense did too, as Brissett completed 27-of-37 passes for 277 yards, a TD pass to McBride and was simply steady.

The red zone needs work, as both Brissett and LaFleur noted. The Cardinals got there four times, and had to kick three field goals, a path that will get a team beat more often than not, LaFleur noted.

Love was in the spotlight early, although aside from the TD and an 18-yard run, his day was mostly quiet (41 yards on 11 attempts, nine yards on two catches) as he split time with Tyler Allgeier (19 total touches.)

But the diverse offense LaFleur promised was that. McBride starred – a 27-yard catch on the season's first play – and there were times when every pass catcher took a turn in the spotlight.

"We did enough to win the game," Brissett said.

Still, Brissett was smiling. The ride from the start of the offseason for him personally was a long one. The first chapter of the season was a good one.

All along, LaFleur had talked about his team peaking for Sept. 13. That box was checked.

"We peaked for this moment today," LaFleur said. "I had been thinking over the last 48 hours of how it goes, either way we had to go back to work (Monday)."

TURNING POINT: The Cardinals faced a fourth-and-1 at their own 40 early in the fourth quarter. LaFleur chose to punt and not go, but the defense held and then Simi Fehoko broke through for a blocked punt. A couple of plays later, Jacoby Brissett found Trey McBride for a 3-yard TD pass and a nine-point lead the Chargers were not going to come back on.

STANDOUTS: Wingard was excellent all game with an interception, forced fumble, and multiple tackles for loss. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne was an unheralded star, grabbing eight receptions for 75 yards. The offensive line did not surrender a sack. And the defense as a whole played its best game since early last season.

INJURY UPDATES: Safety Kitan Crawford was carted to the locker room with an ankle injury and did not return. Cornerback Max Melton left the game briefly with an ankle injury, but he returned to play.