Cardinals WR Kendrick Bourne (EWU) celebrates in front of Chargers LB Daiyan Henley (WSU) during a game on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (Getty Images)
Cardinals WR Kendrick Bourne (EWU) celebrates in front of Chargers LB Daiyan Henley (WSU) during a game on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (Getty Images)
Making his Arizona Cardinals debut, Eastern Washington product Kendrick Bourne had a standout performance in the NFL’s biggest Week 1 upset.
The veteran wide receiver provided steady hands for his new team, catching eight passes for 75 yards in Arizona’s 26-14 road win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Bourne received the fifth-highest Pro Football Focus grade (80) among all players in the game.
Finding openings on intermediate routes, Bourne gave quarterback Jacoby Brissett a consistent option and helped the Cardinals sustain scoring drives on a few occasions – Bourne made an 11-yard reception to convert a second-and-long in the red zone during Arizona’s first drive, which ended in a touchdown; he kept an eventual scoring drive alive in the second quarter with a 12-yard catch in the red zone, moving the chains on third down; and he snagged an 11-yard reception near the end of the first half to get the Cardinals in range for a field goal, which they converted to take a 13-7 lead into halftime.
The Cardinals entered the game as 9.5-point underdogs, the largest betting-line margin in Week 1.
A 10th-year pro, Bourne had 551 yards last season for San Francisco in his second stint with the 49ers after playing for New England from 2021-24. He inked a two-year deal with Arizona in March and earned a starting spot for his veteran presence and reliability.
• Cam Ward (Washington State) had a rough start to his second season as the Tennessee Titans’ quarterback.
Ward completed 19 of 32 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown – a meaningless score late in the game with the game out of reach – during a 23-10 loss to the New York Jets.
The first overall draft pick last year, Ward couldn’t get the Titans offense moving during an inauspicious start after the team finished 3-14 in 2025.
Tennessee didn’t connect on any passes of 15 or more yards. Ward only attempted one pass of 20-plus yards, according to Pro Football Focus. He was pressured on 26 dropbacks and sacked three times – Ward tied for the most-sacked QB in the NFL last season.
Ward finished with a below-average passer rating of 80.2. He rushed for 21 yards on four carries. His Jets counterpart, former Seahawks QB Geno Smith, had a respectable outing in his first game after returning to New York in the offseason, completing 19 of 24 passes for 215 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers.
• Daiyan Henley (WSU), a captain at linebacker for the Chargers, finished second on the team with eight tackles (two solo) and combined with LB Troy Dye for a sack in the fourth quarter.
Henley, a fourth-year pro, played 67 of 75 defensive snaps, recording three run stops near the line of scrimmage, one QB pressure and allowing three catches for 51 yards, per PFF.
Henley was named an L.A. team captain for the second consecutive year. The former All-Pac-12 star, drafted by the Chargers out of WSU in the third round in 2023, has led the team in tackles in each of the past two seasons.
• Chau Smith-Wade (WSU) rotated into the Carolina Panthers’ lineup at cornerback during a 59-37 loss to the Chicago Bears, the highest-scoring season opener in NFL history.
Smith-Wade appeared on 19 of 75 snaps (per PFF) and had one tackle for a defense that conceded 552 yards and the most points allowed by the Panthers in franchise history.
The third-year pro, a fifth-round draft pick in 2024, started six games for the Panthers in 2025, totaling 56 tackles and one interception (a pick-six) for the season.
• Frankie Luvu (WSU), a captain at linebacker for Washington, sustained a groin injury during the third quarter of a 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Luvu did not return. He finished with four tackles and a third-down sack to force a punt on the Eagles’ second possession of the game.
The ninth-year pro is in his third season with the Commanders. He was a second-team All-Pro in 2024 before a less productive 2025 campaign.
• Jalen Thompson (WSU), a veteran safety, had a productive debut with Dallas, but the Cowboys’ defense couldn’t come up with enough stops to offset a lackluster offensive showing in a 28-20 loss to the New York Giants.
Thompson finished second on the team and among all players with nine tackles, but Dallas’ secondary didn’t have many answers for Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, who completed 23 of 29 passes for 230 yards and three TDs.
Thompson spent his first seven NFL seasons with Arizona before signing with Dallas in free agency in March.
• Kaden Elliss (Idaho), a team captain at linebacker for the New Orleans Saints, played every defensive snap in his first game back with the franchise that drafted the Vandal great in 2019.
Elliss finished second on the team with nine tackles (three solo), adding three quarterback hits and breaking up one pass during the Saints’ 31-30 overtime loss at Detroit. Elliss made two run stops at the line of scrimmage and allowed one reception for 5 yards, according to PFF, helping New Orleans rally back from a 21-0 third-quarter deficit.
An eighth-year vet, Elliss spent his first four seasons with the Saints, whom drafted him in the seventh round in 2019. He then enjoyed three very productive years with Atlanta (380 tackles, 12.5 sacks) before signing with New Orleans in free agency in March. Elliss was named a Saints team captain last week.
• Marcus Harris (UI), a second-year cornerback with the Titans, appeared on 36 of 67 defensive snaps against the Jets, according to PFF.
Harris allowed five receptions for 54 yards, PFF reported, and finished with seven tackles (five solo).
An FCS All-American at Idaho (2023) – who finished his career at Cal – Harris was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft by Tennessee and gradually earned an expanded role as his rookie season progressed, starting five consecutive games late in the season. Harris entered the 2026 campaign listed atop the Titans’ depth chart at nickel.
• Samson Ebukam (Eastern Washington), a veteran defensive end, made his Atlanta Falcons debut, recording one tackle and two quarterback hits in a 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Ebukam appeared on 39 of 67 defensive snaps, per PFF.
The 10th-year vet spent the past three years with Indianapolis and signed with the Falcons in free agency in March. He had 33 tackles and two sacks for the Colts last season.
• Ryan Rehkow (Central Valley), the Cincinnati Bengals’ punter, only had to punt once – a 51-yarder – during a 33-27 win over Tampa Bay.
A third-year pro out of BYU, Rehkow finished second in the league last season in yards per punt (50.5), a franchise record.
• Colson Yankoff (Coeur d’Alene), a special-teamer and reserve tight end for Washington, made a tackle on an Eagles kickoff return.
Yankoff, the former CdA quarterback, is in his third season with the Commanders after playing collegiately at UCLA.
• Brennan Jackson (WSU), an All-Pac-12 edge rusher for the Cougs in 2022 and ‘23, made the Las Vegas Raiders’ initial 53-man roster, but the third-year pro was placed on the Reserve/Injured list before the season due to a foot injury he sustained during preseason action.