Arizona Cardinals @ Los Angeles Chargers
Chargers set to unveil Mike McDaniel’s fast-paced new offense in Week 1 vs. Cardinals
INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- — After months of anticipation, the Los Angeles Chargers are ready to unleash their new offensive look under Mike McDaniel.
The team is counting on his speed-based schemes and high-flying attacks to improve an offense that ranked 12th in the NFL last season.
McDaniel was hired as offensive coordinator in January, less than three weeks after being fired as coach of the Miami Dolphins, ending a four-season run in which he went 35-33. He replaced Greg Roman, who was dismissed after two seasons.
Just what McDaniel has up the sleeves of his ever-present sweatshirt will be unveiled Sunday when the Chargers host the Arizona Cardinals to open the season.
“The way we approach the run game has been much different,” tackle Joe Alt said.
McDaniel's immediate focus was to help quarterback Justin Herbert, who was sacked six times in the Chargers' AFC wild-card loss to the New England Patriots to end last season.
Under McDaniel, Herbert will be looking to throw more quickly and line up with his left foot forward in the shotgun. The goal is to keep the quarterback on his feet and healthy after he took a beating in several games last year.
The Chargers' offensive line will get a boost from the return of Pro Bowl tackles Rashawn Slater and Alt, whose season-ending injuries contributed to Herbert's woes.
“They're two of the best to do it,” Herbert said.
Arizona is looking to bounce back after going 3-14 last year and firing coach Jonathan Gannon after three seasons.
The Cardinals hope rookie running back Jeremiyah Love makes his debut Sunday. The No. 3 overall pick out of Notre Dame has been slowed by a sprained ankle he suffered in a preseason game a month ago.
Chargers left guard Kayode Awosika is slated to start in Week 1 for the first time in his career. He got the job over four others, including rookie Jake Slaughter, a second-round pick who moved to center after Tyler Biadasz suffered a season-ending torn ACL in a joint practice with the San Francisco 49ers last month.
“He’s done such a great job of picking up the offense,” Herbert said of Slaughter, “and playing like a veteran out there.”
Arizona (3-14) at the Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) in Inglewood, California.
When/where to watch: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, CBS.
Latest odds: Chargers by 9 1/2.
Last meeting: Cardinals beat Chargers 17-15 on Oct. 21, 2024, in Glendale, Arizona, handing Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh his first-ever loss on “Monday Night Football.”
Series record: Chargers lead 11-5.
Arizona rookie coach Mike LaFleur vs. Harbaugh. Hired in February, LaFleur makes his NFL head coaching debut after spending 12 seasons as an assistant and coordinator, the last three leading the Los Angeles Rams’ offense. Harbaugh has a 71-36-1 record over six seasons with the Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers. The Bolts have posted back-to-back 11-win seasons under him, finishing second in the AFC West both years. LaFleur spent seven years with McDaniel on coaching staffs across three NFL teams, making two Super Bowl appearances together. LaFleur's brother, Matt, coaches the Green Bay Packers.
— Los Angeles has won five of the past seven meetings.
— Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett is 2-1 in his career in Week 1 starts and has won two straight, including victories in 2024 with the Patriots and in 2022 with the Browns.
— Chargers QB Justin Herbert needs 120 passing yards to reach 25,000 for his career. Playing in his 96th game on Sunday, he would be the fourth-fastest player to reach that mark.
— Cardinals TE Trey McBride caught 126 passes last season, an NFL record for a tight end. He enters Week 1 with five-plus receptions in each of his last 10 road games, tying for the longest such streak by a tight end in league history.
— Chargers K Cameron Dicker needs one field goal for 130 in his career, and he could reach that mark in 63 games, which would be the fastest in NFL history.
— Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat had a career-high 12 sacks last season, which led the team. He was the first Arizona player with double-digit sacks since J.J. Watt had 12.5 in 2022.
— During the preseason, Arizona led the NFL in total offense with 402 yards per game and ranked second in rushing (149.5 yards), second in passing (252.5 yards) and third in scoring (27.0 points).
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AP Sports Writer David Brandt in Tempe, Arizona, contributed to this report.
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