Chargers score five touchdowns, beat Cardinals 38-17 in Week 1

Inglewood, CA - Justin Herbert repeatedly found Quentin Johnston, the Los Angeles Chargers paired their passing production with three rushing touchdowns, and a competitive Week 1 opener gradually became a 38-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Herbert completed 25 of 36 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with a 112.2 passer rating. Both scoring passes went to Johnston, who delivered the biggest receiving performance of the game with 11 catches for 151 yards. His longest reception covered 40 yards, matching Herbert's longest completion.

Los Angeles established an advantage and continued to create separation as the game developed. Arizona produced stretches of resistance, including touchdown receptions by Trey McBride and Kendrick Bourne, but the Chargers consistently carried the broader statistical edge. They finished with 400 offensive yards to the Cardinals' 310 and had a 292-201 advantage in passing yards.

"Quentin gave us a reliable target throughout the game," Herbert said. "He kept getting involved, and we were able to stay productive through the air. Starting the season with this kind of team result is what we wanted."

The Chargers were not dependent on their passing game for points. Omarion Hampton rushed 15 times for 63 yards and two touchdowns, while Kimani Vidal added 21 yards on four carries and another score. Los Angeles totaled 108 rushing yards, nearly matching Arizona's 109, but the three rushing touchdowns gave the home offense another dimension on the scoreboard.

The contrast became especially clear near the goal line. Los Angeles scored three touchdowns and kicked a field goal on four red-zone trips. Arizona reached the red zone three times, coming away with one touchdown and one field goal.

Johnston's workload separated him from the rest of the receiving group. He accounted for more than half of Herbert's completions and receiving yardage, while Ladd McConkey added six catches for 69 yards. David Njoku caught four passes for 34 yards, giving Herbert multiple options as the Chargers moved ahead and widened the margin.

"The opportunities kept coming, so my focus was making every catch count," Johnston said. "Eleven catches is a lot of involvement, but the two touchdowns and the win are what stand out. We were able to keep putting pressure on them offensively."

Arizona quarterback Jacoby Brissett had a far more uneven opener. He completed 17 of 39 attempts for 201 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, finishing with a 66.2 passer rating. Tarheeb Still recorded the Chargers' interception and returned it 14 yards.

The Los Angeles pass rush also finished with five sacks. Akheem Mesidor led that effort with 2.5 sacks, a substantial individual share of the defense's production. Arizona recorded three sacks of its own, including one by Zaven Collins, but did not intercept Herbert.

Brissett's best production came through McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. McBride caught four passes for 61 yards and a touchdown, including Arizona's longest completion at 26 yards. Harrison led the Cardinals with 70 receiving yards on four catches, while Bourne's two receptions included a touchdown.

"Seventeen completions on 39 attempts isn't the efficiency we need," Brissett said. "There were some good results with Trey, Marvin and Kendrick, but not enough consistency across the whole game. Against an offense putting up that many points, we needed more sustained production."

The Cardinals did have an explosive presence in the backfield. Jeremiyah Love rushed for 89 yards on only 11 carries, averaging more than eight yards per attempt with a long run of 24 yards. Brissett added 14 yards on three carries. Even with that rushing output, Arizona finished with six fewer first downs than Los Angeles and was unable to match the Chargers' scoring total.

Neither offense dominated every situational category. The Chargers converted 7 of 13 third downs, while Arizona finished 6 of 15. The Cardinals also went 0 for 3 on fourth down. Those numbers sat alongside the larger offensive gap: Los Angeles generated 90 more offensive yards and completed eight more passes.

Hampton's two touchdowns and Vidal's score complemented a passing attack that was both efficient and explosive. Herbert completed nearly 70 percent of his attempts, avoided an interception and posted a passer rating 46 points higher than Brissett's. Johnston turned that accuracy into the game's signature individual stat line.

Arizona showed enough offensive variety to reach 310 yards and produce two touchdown catches, but the Cardinals never generated the same separation in the passing game or the same red-zone return. Los Angeles finished four red-zone possessions with three touchdowns and a field goal, did not throw an interception and closed Week 1 with a 21-point margin.

For the Chargers, the opener ended with 400 offensive yards, five touchdowns and a 38-17 victory in Inglewood.