The Arizona Cardinals were an afterthought by many around the league before the start of the season. In fact, many draft mocks predicted the Cardinals to be in the running for a top quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft, suggesting they'd finish with one of the worst records in the NFL this season. There's still a long way to go, but Arizona is off to a hot start this season after it pulled off a 26-14 upset of the Los Angeles Chargers on the road on Sunday in head coach Mike LaFleur's debut.
The Chargers made the AFC Wild-Card Round last year and are thought to be a playoff contender this season. More news: Exclusive: Breakout NFL Executives Who Could Become Future General Managers More news: 4 QBs Generating Serious Trade Buzz Weeks Before NFL Regular Season Starts LaFleur broke a bad spell of history for the Cardinals by beating the Chargers in Week 1, becoming the first Arizona head coach to win his debut since Don Coryell did so in 1973. "By leading Arizona to a 26-14 upset over the Chargers, Mike LaFleur became the first Cardinals full-time coach to win his debut since Don Coryell in 1973," ESPN's Adam Schefter posted on X.
Since Coryell's debut, the Cardinals have witnessed 13 head coaches lose their debuts. LaFleur has heard the doubters. After beating the Chargers, he was less worried about relishing the victory and more focused on continuing to find ways to win the next game.
"Again, what's been said, it doesn't matter," LaFleur said, via ESPN. 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." The Cardinals have another big contest coming in Week 2 when they host the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks are expected to be without starting quarterback Sam Darnold, but backup quarterback Drew Lock led Seattle to a 13-10 comeback win over the New England Patriots in Week 1. For more on the Vikings and the NFL, head to Newsweek Sports.
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