Mike LaFleur Ends Cardinals 53-Year Coaching Streak in Chargers Win

· Yahoo Sports

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 13: Head coach Mike LaFleur of the Arizona Cardinals looks on in the third quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on September 13, 2026 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) Getty

The Arizona Cardinals put together a convincing victory in Mike LaFleur’s head coaching debut. With a 26-14 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, LaFleur became the first non-interim head coach to win in his Cardinals debut since Don Coryell in 1973, per Cardinals team reporter Darren Urban.

To further illustrate how far that was, the Cardinals were in St. Louis when Coryell was coaching them. It’s a streak that survived Ken Whisenhunt and Bruce Arians, arguably the most successful coaches in franchise history since moving to Arizona in 1988.

More impressive was not only the win, but how they got there. The Cardinals played four solid quarters of football together, never trailing for a single second. They minimized mistakes and made big plays on offense, defense, and special teams. Arizona scored a point in all four quarters.

It’s a stark contrast to a Cardinals team that limped to a 3-14 finish. The team elected to change coaches, letting Jonathan Gannon go and hiring LaFleur. And the first test for the new head coach was aced with flying colors.

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