How the Chargers lost to the Cardinals in Week 1's biggest upset

Week 1 of the NFL season always seems to feature a surprising upset, and this year that win was courteous of the Arizona Cardinals .

While the Cardinals were expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this year, Arizona shocked the league by handling the Chargers in Los Angeles by a score of 26-14. Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett and rookie running back Jeremiyah Love helped get Mike LaFleur his first win as the team's head coach.

The Chargers , meanwhile, face a long week wondering what happened this week. Los Angeles has Super Bowl aspirations after adding Mike McDaniel as the new offensive coordinator, but the offense sputtered by scoring just 14 points.

Here's a breakdown of how the Cardinals beat the Chargers.

The Chargers disappointing loss to the Cardinals began on the very first drive, when Arizona marched down the field and scored to take a 7-0 lead. That 70-yard drive heavily featured rookie running back Jeremiyah Love, who punched it in for his first NFL touchdown.

Following that drive, the Chargers tied the game with a touchdown drive of their own, which was then followed by a Cardinals missed field goal. It seemed like Los Angeles had settled into the game, but that came to a halt when Omarion Hampton fumbled in Cardinals territory to squander a scoring chance.

On the ensuing drive, the Cardinals got a field goal to take a 10-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

Entering halftime, the Chargers were down just three points but had the benefit of receiving the kickoff in the second half. Unfortunately, they failed to do much with the ball as the offense go just 19 yards before punting away. The Cardinals would add a field goal on the next drive, extending the lead to six points.

Los Angeles did produce a touchdown drive to follow, taking a 14-13 lead midway through the third quarter. That score stuck for a while with both teams trading punts for the next few drives, but the play of the game came when Arizona blocked a Chargers punt to get the ball deep in Los Angeles Territory, turning that into a touchdown.

The Cardinals took the lead 20-14, putting the Chargers on the ropes. Finally, Justin Herbert through his lone interception of the day on a deep attempt, which essentially put the game away for the Cardinals as Arizona got a field goal on its next possession.

The 23-14 deficit proved to be too much for the Chargers to overcome with such little time left in the game. Arizona added another three points to cement the win at 26-14.

Los Angeles was discombobulated on offense though the entire game, and the Chargers special teams had a nightmare play that swung the game. The Cardinals, however, punched above their weight to get Mike LaFleur his first win as a head coach.