Cardinals beat Chargers 26-14 as Mike LaFleur wins his head coaching debut

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Coming off an injury-riddled three-win season and with a new coaching staff, the Arizona Cardinals were the NFL's biggest underdog going into Week 1.

Surprise!

Led by rookie head coach Mike LaFleur, the Cardinals defeated the Jim Harbaugh-led Los Angeles Chargers 26-14 on Sunday.

LaFleur became the first Cardinals coach to win his debut since Don Coryell in 1973. He won in the same SoFi Stadium where he worked his final game as the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator last year before being hired by Arizona in February.

“These last few days have been almost miserable waiting,” he said. “Just really happy for those guys.”

LaFleur spent his first 12 years in the NFL toiling as an assistant with five different teams. His older brother, Matt, is starting his eighth season as head coach of the Green Bay Packers. Harbaugh's older brother, Jim, coaches the New York Giants.

Jacoby Brissett threw for 277 yards and a touchdown for Arizona, which added 18 new players and several new assistants.

“I’m just so happy that we were able to go on the road and get a win,” Brissett said. “As a starting quarterback, it’s like, ‘Whew!’”

The Chargers were the NFL's heaviest favorite by 9 1/2 points, but they played from behind the entire game and had a miserable fourth quarter.

“It’s not the start that we wanted, but credit to the Cardinals,” Harbaugh said. “It’ll be about our resolve, the way we bounce back.”

Chad Ryland had four field goals as the Cardinals won on the road against the Chargers for the first time since 2001. His only miss was a 54-yarder when the ball hit the right upright in the second quarter.

The Chargers made a mess of the fourth quarter. On their first three possessions, they had a blocked punt, Justin Herbert was intercepted and Los Angeles turned the ball over on downs on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line. They had another turnover on downs with less than 2 minutes remaining.

“It’s understood that every first week is kind of like a training camp game,” linebacker Daiyan Henley said. “You never know what’s going to come at you, but you got to be prepared for anything.”

Herbert was 17 of 27 for 209 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and was sacked three times.

“They played well, but it’s on us to play better,” Herbert said. “We didn’t play the way we wanted to.”

The Cardinals dominated possession, 37 minutes to 22, and ran 72 plays to 51 for the Chargers and compiled 393 yards of offense to 268.

Arizona scored on its first possession when Jeremiyah Love, the No. 3 overall pick, stiff-armed Cam Hart in the left corner of the end zone for a 5-yard TD run.

The Chargers answered with a 9-yard TD run by Omarion Hampton. He got stoned at the 5-yard line, but kept going as four Cardinals failed to stop him, tying it at 7.

Arizona led 10-7 on Ryland's 27-yard field goal in the second.

Herbert got sacked by Dante Stills on fourth-and-goal with two minutes left before halftime. The Cardinals got a 42-yarder by Ryland after Paris Johnson Jr.'s 15-yard face mask penalty to lead 13-7.

After the Chargers were forced to punt on their first possession of the third, Arizona got a 34-yarder by Ryland to extend its lead to 16-7.

Los Angeles closed to 16-14 on Herbert's 8-yard pass to Ladd McConkey, who barely got into the corner of the end zone. The Chargers were helped by Max Melton's 48-yard defensive pass interference penalty.

Chargers: McConkey took a hard hit to his hip in the third quarter. S Elijah Molden injured a hamstring.

Cardinals: Host defending Super Bowl champion Seattle next Sunday.

Chargers: Host Las Vegas next Sunday.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) smiles after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) passes against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, left, is hit by Arizona Cardinals linebacker Jack Gibbens, left rear, and linebacker Zaven Collins (25) as defensive tackle Walter Nolen III (97) follows the play during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur talks with players on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats have won control of both chambers of Congress, delivering a decisive rebuke of Republican governance in Washington and ushering in a new era of congressional resistance to President Donald Trump.

The midterm elections that came to a close Tuesday channeled voters' deep frustrations over high prices, the Iran war and concerns over government corruption. Democrats routed their rivals across the map, flipping states that have voted Republican for decades and that Trump won by double digits just two years ago.

That includes James Talarico's stunning Senate victory in Texas, where no Democrat had won statewide office in more than 30 years, and Annie Andrews' upset victory over Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina. Trump had thrown his full weight behind both losing candidates.

Even Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, a battle-tested survivor of difficult elections, lost to Democrat Troy Jackson.

The results from across the country were a major blow to Trump, who spent nearly every day of the last month holding rallies to energize his supporters but was unable to stop a wipeout.

While Trump has proven adept at steamrolling efforts to rein him in, Democratic control will profoundly reshape Trump’s final two years in office and hamstring his legislative agenda.

Party leaders have signaled they'll use their new power to ensure Trump's final two years in office are dominated by a series of investigations of top members of his administration and deeper scrutiny of how he's enriched his family. Impeachment of Trump and his Cabinet officials is not off the table. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and tech titan Elon Musk, a former top Trump adviser, are among possible targets for investigations.

In celebratory events Tuesday night, Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer called the results a “generational remake of the Senate map.” Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries said “the American people are crying out for transformational change.”

Trump immediately sought to shift blame for his party's losses, posting on his social media site before polls even closed on the West Coast that he wasn't on the ballot — even though he spent weeks asking voters to act like he was. He vowed to veto Democrat-controlled legislation, sharing a picture of a red baseball cap with “VETO” stenciled in the style of his trademark “Make America Great Again” campaign swag.

In a late-night phone interview with Fox News, Trump said he didn't consider the elections to be a personal defeat. Voters, he said, “didn't like the candidates.”

Democrats had braced for Trump to again try to undermine the results if they won after he warned that noncitizens would cast ballots en masse and filed lawsuits in Alaska and California. Instead, he said on Fox that he would accept them.

Despite the results, Senate Majority Leader John Thune wrote on X that “Senate Republicans will not stand idly by as the far-left, socialist wing of the Democrat Party attempts to unwind everything we’ve done.” He said they will work with Trump “to stop the worst impulses of Democrat extremism.”

Midterm elections are typically difficult for the president's party, but Republicans had originally expected that their Senate majority was safe. Instead, Democrats marched through some of the most conservative states in the nation.

Josh Turek defeated Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa, while Adam Hamilton ousted Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas to become the state's first Democratic senator since 1932. A cascade of surprising Democratic victories included Talarico defeating Ken Paxton in Texas, Andrews upsetting Graham in South Carolina, Sherrod Brown topping Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio and Roy Cooper taking an open North Carolina seat.

Trump played an outsized role in the Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina races. He endorsed Paxton and helped him defeat incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas primary, even as Republican officials warned his efforts could be costly. He sharply criticized North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who opted not to seek reelection. He also supported Graham, despite doubts within the party that she was the right candidate to replace her brother, who died unexpectedly earlier this year.

Less of a surprise was Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff winning reelection in Georgia, defeating Rep. Mike Collins. Rep. Chris Pappas also won a Senate race in New Hampshire, defeating former Sen. John Sununu to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

In the House, Democrats reached deeply into Trump-won territory to defeat his preferred candidates and win in even some of the most Republican states. There were multiple Democratic pickups in Iowa, Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania and new Democratic seats in Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Utah. In Iowa, there was an all-Republican congressional delegation going into the election. Democrats will now represent three of them.

Defeated Republicans included Rep. Tom Kean of New Jersey, who missed four months of votes in Washington this year as he underwent treatment for depression, and Rep. Mike Lawler in New York.

Bracing for a tough night, Republicans had spent the campaign’s final stretch pumping tens of millions of dollars into states and districts that Trump won handily two years ago, as Trump campaigned in heavily red areas. But even Republicans' money advantage didn't stem the Democratic tide.

“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!” Trump wrote on his social media site.

Voters were sour heading into Tuesday, deeply unhappy with the country’s direction and pessimistic about the future, according to The AP Voter Poll.

Most said they feel frustrated, with about three-quarters saying they feel “angry” or “dissatisfied” with the country’s current trajectory. Dissatisfaction was particularly high in blue states, but even in red states, a majority of voters were at least “dissatisfied.”

The economy was key to Trump's White House comeback two years ago. But the poll found that three-quarters of voters say the economy is “not so good” or “poor." About 8 in 10 say inflation has caused a “severe” or “moderate” financial hardship for their households.

Government corruption was also a big issue with voters. Roughly half cited it and the cost of living as “crucial” to their vote for Congress — higher than immigration enforcement policies, the war in Iran and artificial intelligence data centers. About 6 in 10 voters said Trump prioritizes his own personal interests more than the country’s interests.

Despite their relative advantage on issues, the Democratic Party is not much more popular with voters than the Republicans. Just under half of voters have a “somewhat” or “strongly” favorable view of the Democratic Party, while about 4 in 10 view Republicans positively.

Republicans tried to buck historical midterm precedent with an aggressive redistricting effort aimed at creating a more favorable congressional map. But in Florida and Texas, where Republicans hoped to pick up as many as nine seats, the plan fell short, with Democrats picking up targeted districts.

Outstanding Senate battlegrounds include Alaska, where the Trump administration filed a lawsuit to block certification of Senate results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses the race, citing the presence of a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on the ballot.

Republicans also hoped to pick up Michigan, where Mike Rogers faces progressive Abdul El-Sayed — one of a crop of left-wing candidates who prevailed in Democratic primaries. El-Sayed's former primary opponent, Haley Stevens, upended the race by endorsing Rogers, renewing focus on tensions over Israel and the party's direction.

Beyond Washington, 36 states elected governors. Democrats Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania, JB Pritzker in Illinois, Wes Moore in Maryland, Maura Healey in Massachusetts and Kathy Hochul in New York all won reelection. In a stunning upset in Texas, Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who was seeking a fourth term.

In Ohio, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy lost to Democrat Amy Acton after his campaign faced backlash for an ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother, who lost custody of Acton decades ago after her husband, Acton’s stepfather, was indicted for raping Acton as a child.

Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms of Georgia will be the first Black female governor of any state. In neighboring Florida, Byron Donalds became the nation's first Black Republican to be elected governor.

Jeffries, in line to make history as the nation’s first Black speaker of the House, has outlined a 100-day agenda focused on lowering the cost of living and aggressively overseeing the Trump administration.

The especially strong showing for Democrats could boost the party's large crop of potential presidential candidates. It may also complicate the paths of Vice President JD Vance and other Republicans who may have been looking to turn their loyalty to Trump into momentum.

Associated Press journalists Joey Cappelletti, Lisa Mascaro, Linley Sanders, Aaron Kessler and Ali Swenson in Washington; Cody Jackson in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; and Allen Breed in Raleigh, N.C., contributed.

South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Annie Andrews takes the stage at an election night event in Charleston, S.C., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Democratic Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico speaks at an election night event in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Attendees watch early election returns at an election night event before Democratic Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico arrives to speak in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Attendees watch early election returns at an election night event before Democratic Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico arrives to speak in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., walks out during an election night event, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Supporters of South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Annie Andrews cheer during her election night watch party, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Charleston, S.C. (AP Photo/Mic Smith)

Democratic Senate candidate Rep. Chris Pappas, right, D-N.H., greets the crowd at an election night event, with Vann Bentley, left, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Reba Saldanha)

North Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Roy Cooper speaks at an election night event Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Ramey)

Event staff set the stage before Democratic Senate candidate Texas state Rep. James Talarico arrives to speak at an election night event in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

People cheer at an election ight event for Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Bangor, Maine. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Dr. Theopia Johnson Tate, of Atlanta, poses for a portrait at an election night event for Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Guests attend an election night event for Republican Senate candidate Mike Collins, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, greets supporters at an election night event Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Bangor, Maine. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Residents vote in the midterm elections at the Old Stone School in Hillsboro, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

A Sheriff's Deputy and his dog inspect ballots at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in City of Industry, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Ballots are sorted on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in San Francisco.(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Brad Girod holds his 14-month-old daughter, Genevieve, as he votes on Election Day during the midterm election at a polling place in the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

A woman votes at the Emery Heights Community Center, Tuesday Nov. 3, 2026, during the midterm elections in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

A voting location is seen at the Greater Middle Baptist Church on Nov. 3, 2026 in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Kevin Wurm)

People cast their ballots at the polling place at the League for People with Disabilities in Baltimore on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

A woman votes at the Emery Heights Community Center, Tuesday Nov. 3, 2026, during the midterm elections in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Samantha Pounder, of Washington, confirms her address with a poll worker while voting with her daughters Aya, 3, left, and Sade, 6, at the Emery Heights Community Center, Tuesday Nov. 3, 2026, during the midterm elections in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

People move in line to cast their ballots at the polling place at the League for People with Disabilities in Baltimore on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Voters cast their ballots at Public School 321 elementary school in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A volunteer places a "Vote Here" sign at the Brooklyn Museum in New York on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Voters cast their ballots at the Brooklyn Museum in New York on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A volunteer sorts "I Voted" stickers at the Brooklyn Museum in New York on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A person walks to the City of Arlington South Service Center ahead of the polling place opening on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Josh Turek speaks during a campaign rally, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. (AP Photo/Ellen Schmidt)

People listen to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who is running for reelection, outside an agricultural business as she makes a campaign stop, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Van Buren, Maine. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., introduces Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed during a campaign rally at Eastern Michigan University, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Ypsilanti, Mich. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, speaks to members of the media before sign-waving with supporters at the edge of Midtown Mall, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

People wait in line to cast their ballot at a polling location open for early voting at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)