Wk 1 · 2026
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Chargers — Sun, Sep 13
Sun, Sep 13 ·
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
· CBS
Weather
No forecast yet. This one is 16 days away. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
NFC West · no games yet
at
4:25pET
LAC -10.5 · total 46.5 DraftKings
Ratings differential LAC by 11.3
AFC West · no games yet
What is at stake
An interconference game, NFC against AFC. It counts in both overall records — which is what seeding is settled on first — and in neither team’s division or conference record.
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The Gridiron King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
1.7 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two rosters that have
been through a draft and a free-agency window since.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense
Defense
Points / game
Points allowed / game
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The Gridiron King’s 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats
The box-score store these rows are built from has not been produced for this league yet, so no preview carries points and yards for and against. The form, trend and series blocks below are built from this site’s own files and are not affected.
Cardinals form
No completed games on record.
Chargers form
No completed games on record.
Cardinals this season
No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.
Chargers this season
No graded games yet this season. Lines are captured before kickoff and graded when a game goes final, so these records start at Week 1.
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 7
| Opponent | Cardinals | Chargers |
|---|---|---|
| Seahawks NFC | vs Wk 2 · scheduled preview | at Wk 4 · scheduled preview |
| 49ers NFC | at Wk 3 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 15 · scheduled preview |
| Rams NFC | at Wk 6 · scheduled preview | at Wk 8 · scheduled preview |
| Broncos AFC | vs Wk 7 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 5 · scheduled preview |
| Chiefs AFC | at Wk 11 · scheduled preview | at Wk 6 · scheduled preview |
| Jets AFC | vs Wk 15 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 11 · scheduled preview |
| Raiders AFC | vs Wk 17 · scheduled preview | vs Wk 2 · scheduled preview |
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, Chargers leads 4–2 · Cardinals won the last one
6 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
11.8 points toward Chargers
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2024-10-21 | Chargers 15 — 17 Cardinals | at ARI | Cardinals |
| 2022 | 2022-11-27 | Chargers 25 — 24 Cardinals | at ARI | Chargers |
| 2018 | 2018-11-25 | Cardinals 10 — 45 Chargers | at LAC | Chargers |
| 2014 | 2014-09-08 | Chargers 17 — 18 Cardinals | at ARI | Cardinals |
| 2010 | 2010-10-03 | Cardinals 10 — 41 Chargers | at LAC | Chargers |
| 2006 | 2006-12-31 | Cardinals 20 — 27 Chargers | at LAC | Chargers |
Cardinals leaders 2025 regular season
| Passing | Jacoby Brissett QB #7 | 315/485, 3366 YDS, 23 TD, 8 INT |
| Kyler Murray QB #1 | 110/161, 962 YDS, 6 TD, 3 INT | |
| Rushing | Michael Carter RB #35 | 92 CAR, 333 YDS, 1 TD |
| Emari Demercado RB #25 | 44 CAR, 312 YDS | |
| Bam Knight RB #20 | 82 CAR, 269 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Receiving | Trey McBride TE #85 | 126 REC, 1239 YDS, 11 TD |
| Michael Wilson WR #14 | 78 REC, 1006 YDS, 7 TD | |
| Marvin Harrison Jr. WR #18 | 41 REC, 608 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Elijah Higgins TE #84 | 30 REC, 301 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Budda Baker S #3 | 120 |
| Akeem Davis-Gaither LB #51 | 117 | |
| Jalen Thompson S #34 | 95 | |
| Sacks | Josh Sweat LB #10 | 12 |
| Calais Campbell DE #93 | 6.5 | |
| Baron Browning LB #5 | 2 | |
| Interceptions | Denzel Burke CB #29 | 3 |
| Dadrion Taylor-Demerson S #42 | 2 | |
| Budda Baker S #3 | 1 |
Chargers leaders 2025 regular season
| Passing | Justin Herbert QB #10 | 340/512, 3727 YDS, 26 TD, 13 INT |
| Trey Lance QB #5 | 27/57, 226 YDS, 1 INT | |
| Rushing | Kimani Vidal RB #28 | 155 CAR, 643 YDS, 3 TD |
| Omarion Hampton RB #8 | 124 CAR, 545 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Justin Herbert QB #10 | 83 CAR, 498 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Ladd McConkey WR #15 | 66 REC, 789 YDS, 6 TD |
| Keenan Allen WR #10 | 81 REC, 777 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Quentin Johnston WR #1 | 51 REC, 735 YDS, 8 TD | |
| Oronde Gadsden TE #86 | 49 REC, 664 YDS, 3 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Daiyan Henley LB #0 | 103 |
| Derwin James Jr. S #3 | 94 | |
| Troy Dye LB #43 | 58 | |
| Sacks | Tuli Tuipulotu LB #45 | 13 |
| Odafe Oweh LB #98 | 7.5 | |
| Justin Eboigbe DT #92 | 6 | |
| Interceptions | Tony Jefferson S #23 | 4 |
| Donte Jackson CB #26 | 4 | |
| Derwin James Jr. S #3 | 3 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since signed elsewhere, been traded or retired still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game.