Chargers vs. Cardinals: Reasons why Arizona might win in Week 7

Los Angeles heads to Arizona on Monday for the franchise’s 53rd all-time appearance on Monday Night Football. The Chargers currently carry a 26-26 record on ESPN’s flagship broadcast, a mark they’ll be looking to tip over .500 against the Cardinals.

Here are a few reasons to be concerned they’ll fall short of the mark.

Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray (1) eludes Green Bay Packers defensive end Rashan Gary (52) during the third quarter of their game Sunday, October 13, 2024 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Green Bay Packers beat the Arizona Cardinals 34-13.

Los Angeles was often frustrated, especially in the fourth quarter, by the escapability of Broncos quarterback Bo Nix as he extended plays and found receivers downfield during a frantic comeback attempt. Now, the Chargers will have to play one of the best scramblers in the game, as Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has had a strong season in his return from an ACL tear.

Murray is currently third in the league in yards generated on scrambles with 150, which will have to be a point of emphasis for a strong Chargers defense that nonetheless allowed Nix to scramble for 61 yards last week. Murray has been a better all-around quarterback than Nix through six games as well, which will force Los Angeles to respect his ability to throw on the run.

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Asante Samuel Jr. is already on injured reserve, but the Chargers were also without Kristian Fulton (hamstring) and Deane Leonard (hamstring) at practice on Thursday and Friday. Slot corner Ja’Sir Taylor was limited on Thursday as he recovers from a fibula injury.

That leaves rookies Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still, both of whom filled in admirably last week against Denver, as the only two healthy corners on Los Angeles’ roster. Still has exclusively played in the nickel in the regular season, but could maybe kick to the outside if Taylor is able to play on Monday. Otherwise, the Chargers will rely on one of their four practice squad cornerbacks – Shaun Wade, Dicaprio Bootle, Nehemiah Shelton, and Eli Apple – to provide depth. Apple seems the most likely to be called up on Monday because of his veteran experience, but the Chargers may well use both elevations at cornerback with a potentially dangerously thin room.

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On the other side of the ball, Los Angeles has four wide receivers and two tight ends on the injury report between Quentin Johnston (ankle), Ladd McConkey (hip), Simi Fehoko (shoulder/groin), DJ Chark (groin), Will Dissly (shoulder), and Hayden Hurst (groin). Johnston and Hurst have yet to practice this week, while Chark has still not been activated off of injured reserve.

It seems like some of those players will give it a go on Monday, namely McConkey and Dissly, but it may still mean that one of Joshua Palmer, Derius Davis, Brenden Rice, or Stone Smartt emerges as a legitimate option for Justin Herbert on Monday. Palmer has struggled to get going, Davis and Smartt have played sparingly, and Rice has most often been a healthy inactive to start his rookie season.

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James Conner and the Cardinals ground game have averaged 145 yards per game this season, which ranks 7th in the league through Week 6. Conner is also a prolific player on Monday Night Football, having scored 6 touchdowns in 6 career games on ESPN.

The Chargers have a strong run defense, ranking third in expected points added (EPA)/rush and success rate allowed, but will have to bring their A game to keep Arizona behind the sticks. Murray’s threat to run on any given play threatens an additional dimension – Los Angeles allowed just 44 yards to Broncos running backs but 110 yards total to Denver a week ago.

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The Cardinals have scored touchdowns on their opening drive in 5 of their 6 games this season (last Sunday’s game against Green Bay was the lone exception). Arizona has been one of the best offenses in the league during the scripted portion of games – typically about the first 15 offensive plays installed by the offensive coordinator during the week.

Los Angeles will have to stop that early and often the way the Packers did – Green Bay built a 24-0 lead en route to a 34-13 win on Sunday. The Chargers have shown they’re capable of that after racing out to a 23-0 lead over Denver last week, but Arizona will have more in the tank to roar back than the Broncos did. Considering LA almost let Denver back into that game in the fourth quarter, they’ll have to execute a bit better in those situations against a feistier Cardinals team.

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