Arizona Cardinals vs Los Angeles Chargers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 09/13/2026

Game Time: 4:25 pm ET, Sunday, September 13, 2026

Venue:  SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Cardinals +10.5, Chargers -10.5; Over/Under:  46.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Cardinals +10.5, Chargers -10.5; Over/Under:  47 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Cardinals +10.5, Chargers -10.5; Over/Under:  47 points

Arizona Cardinals:  0-0 (NFC West)

Los Angeles Chargers:  0-0 (AFC West)

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Arizona Cardinals:  N/A

Los Angeles Chargers:  N/A

The Cardinals finished last season with a 3-14 record overall and they were 0-6 in their division games too. They had a 1-7 record in their home games and had a 2-7 record in their road games where they will be in this game. Last season, their offense was averaging 20.9 points per game and their defense was allowing an average of 28.7 points per game. Their offense was also averaging 325.8 yards per game and their defense was allowing an average of 357.7 yards per game. Jacoby Brissett led the team in passing yards with 3,366, Michael Carter led the team in rushing yards with 333, and Trey McBride led the team in receiving yards with 1,239.

The Chargers finished last season with an 11-6 record overall and they were 5-1 in their division games too. They had a 6-3 record in their home games and had a 5-3 record in their road games where they will be in this game. Last season, their offense was averaging 21.6 points per game and their defense was allowing an average of 20 points per game. Their offense was also averaging 333.8 yards per game and their defense was allowing an average of 285.2 yards per game. Justin Herbert led the team in passing yards with 3,727, Kimani Vidal led the team in rushing yards with 643, and Ladd McConkey led the team in receiving yards with 789.

The current betting odds have the Chargers listed as a 10.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Chargers had an 11-6 record overall last season and they had a good season making the playoffs. They didn't win the AFC West and ended up falling short in the playoffs, but they will be eager to improve in Jim Harbaugh's 3rd year coaching the team with the AFC West being more wide open than it has been in recent years. The defense has looked a lot better over the last 2 seasons since Harbaugh got there and that is going to continue being a strength for them this season. The offense has still been really up and down with Herbert struggling at times, but they do have a ton of talent on offense still and now they are bringing in Mike McDaniel to be their new OC who is a great offensive mind. This offense is going to improve this season with more consistency and they are getting a lay up in this season opener with a chance to fine tune things before the schedule gets tough. Meanwhile, the Cardinals had a 3-14 record overall last season and they were tied for the worst record in the NFL. They had one of the worst defenses, giving up a ton of points, and the offense looked very incompetent at times. They ended up firing Gannon and hiring Mike LaFleur to be their new head coach. They also got rid of Kyler Murray and drafted Carson Beck as the potential future, but Brissett is still going to be the starter for now. Brissett wasn't bad in this offense last season and they do have a lot of talent for him to get the ball too, but the run game was also terrible and they are going to have to lean on their rookie this year, still with a really bad offensive line. This is not an easy season opener for the Cardinals with all of the new faces at key positions and they are going to struggle to stay competitive in this game against a potential Super Bowl contender. The best way to place a bet here is on the Chargers to cover the spread in this game. 

Cardinals Chargers Prediction:  Our NFL Pick for Sunday, September 13, 2026 (4:25 pm ET start time) is Chargers 34 Cardinals 10.

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Arizona Cardinals: 15-24 ATS against AFC West division opponents. 4-10 1H ATS as a road underdog. 25-14 OVER against AFC West division opponents. 

Los Angeles Chargers: 35-20 ATS as a home favorite of 7.5 to 14 points. 10-5 ATS in home games. 23-14 OVER against NFC West division opponents. 

Arizona Cardinals:  None.

Los Angeles Chargers:  None.

"Part of my job was trying to hire the best staff that I possibly could, trust the guys to do what they do, and pour into it because I've seen it where a coordinator-head coach tries to do everything and it kind of dilutes the position coach a little. That's never what I want to do." - Mike LaFleur on entering his 1st year as head coach of the Cardinals.

“What’s it like being around Mike? So he’s just a great guy. He’s hilarious. He’s funny. The meetings that he has, I got my pen out, I’m writing things down because there’s a nugget of gold that comes out of every one of those interactions, whether him and I are talking on the field or in his office or mine or in the meetings. It’s two, three, four a day. He just does it in a way that, man, I like to listen to this guy talk.” - Jim Harbaugh on hiring Mike McDaniel as the new OC this season. 

WR Harrison Jr., Marvin

WR Wilson, Michael

WR Bourne, Kendrick

TE McBride, Trey

QB Brissett, Jacoby

RB Love, Jeremiyah

WR Johnston, Quentin

WR Harris, Tre' 

WR McConkey, Ladd

TE Kolar, Charlie

QB Herbert, Justin

RB Hampton, Omarion

FB Ingold, Alec

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Coaches:

Arizona Cardinals: Mike LaFleur (1st season)

Los Angeles Chargers: Jim Harbaugh (3rd season)