Cardinals defeat Chargers, pull off Week 1's biggest upset
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- The Arizona Cardinals' upset win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday was historic in more ways than one.
Beyond helping first-year coach Mike LaFleur become the first Cardinals full-time coach to win his debut since Don Coryell did it in 1973, Arizona defied the odds to help LaFleur accomplish it.
The Cardinals came into Sunday's game as 8.5-point underdogs, according to DraftKings, and walked out of SoFi Stadium with a 26-14 win to pull off the biggest Week 1 upset in the NFL since 2018, when Tampa Bay beat New Orleans 48-40 as 10-point underdogs, according to ESPN Research.
Sunday was also Arizona's biggest upset overall since Week 17 of the 2023 season, when it beat the Philadelphia Eagles, who were a 12.5-point favorite, according to ESPN Research.
Despite the historic win, LaFleur said he doesn't pay attention to the betting line.
"I don't look at the Vegas odds," he said.
Heading into the season, the Cardinals' season-long win total at DraftKings was 3.5, which was tied for the third lowest since 1990 and tied for the lowest by any non-expansion team during that span, according to ESPN Research. And on Sunday, Arizona became the first team with a win total of 3.5 or lower to win its Week 1 game since at least 1990, according to ESPN Research.
Arizona began the season as a +10000 to win the NFC West at DraftKings, odds that have already dropped to +4500.
"Again, what's been said, it doesn't matter," LaFleur said. "We don't care. And I hope we continue to feel that way. Like I just told them the humility is a day away in this league, so we got to reset and get right back to work tomorrow. But I'm happy for those guys."
As happy as LaFleur was about his players winning their season opener, he also was indifferent about getting his first career coaching win.
"Nothing right now I feel," he said. "And I don't say that in a bad way, I'm just so happy for those guys. It's just the work that they put in and our training. I don't know. I don't compare us to anyone else."
However, quarterback Jacoby Brissett said it meant a lot to the players to get LaFleur a win in his debut.
"Of course," Brissett said. "I mean, I want to get a win in every one of Mike's games."
LaFleur said he might think about it next July.
"I don't know. I'm just so excited about these guys and the work that they put in to get the results," LaFleur said. "We're not going to be results-based. We know what this league is. It is results-based, I get it. But inward, in our building, we're going to be about our process and putting in the work and let the results go where they may."
