San Diego Chargers vs. Arizona Cardinals: Live Score and Analysis for Arizona

The Arizona Cardinals found themselves trailing by two scores at the start of the fourth quarter, 17-6. The third quarter was unkind to them, as turnovers led to two short San Diego Chargers touchdown drives to build the double-digit lead.

But quarterback Carson Palmer heated up at just the right time, and the defense pitched a shutout in the final frame to close out the Monday Night Football affair with the Chargers. The 18-17 victory gave Arizona its fifth home-opening win in a row and improved the franchise to 8-1 in home openers since moving into University of Phoenix Stadium for the 2006 season.

Palmer completed 24 of 37 passes (64.9 percent) for 304 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for a 108.4 passer rating. He was sacked twice.

Wide receiver Michael Floyd was Palmer's weapon of choice, hauling in five receptions for a game-high 119 yards (23.8 yards per catch), including the second-longest reception of his career, a 63-yard strike from Palmer in the first quarter.

Defensively, inside linebacker Larry Foote was the star. He led all defenders with eight tackles and two for a loss. His pass deflection on fourth down thwarted a last-minute comeback attempt by Philip Rivers and the Chargers.

The team is 1-0 for the first time under head coach Bruce Arians. It was not pretty at times, but as any good coach will tell you, "A win is a win." There is much to learn this week from the nail-biting win, so while the team will enjoy it tonight, they'll move on to their Week 2 matchup.

It's now Giants week.