Chargers at Arizona Cardinals: Who has the edge?
CHARGERS (3-2) at CARDINALS (2-4)
When: Monday, 6 p.m.
Where: State Farm Stadium
TV/Radio: ABC (Ch. 7); 98.7 FM; 105.5 FM/94.3 FM (Spanish)
Line: Chargers by 1½
Notable injury designations: Chargers: OUT: DB Deane Leonard (hamstring). DOUBTFUL: OLB Joey Bosa (hip), TE Hayden Hurst (groin), WR Quentin Johnston (ankle). QUESTIONABLE: WR DJ Chark (groin), WR Derius Davis (hamstring), WR Simi Fehoko (shoulder/groin), CB Kristian Fulton (hamstring), WR Ladd McConkey (hip), DB Ja’Sir Taylor (fibula). Cardinals: OUT: LB Owen Pappoe (hip), DL Darius Robinson (calf). QUESTIONABLE: RB Trey Benson (illness), OL Christian Jones (ankle), DL Roy Lopez (ankle), CB Sean Murphy-Bunting (neck), LB Kyzir White (knee), CB Garrett Williams (groin).
What’s at stake? The Chargers speak often about stacking days and stacking games. Translation: Having a great day of practice followed by another great day of practice and having a great game followed by another great game, and so on and so on. The Chargers have that chance after ending a two-game losing streak with a solid victory over the Denver Broncos last week.
Who’s better? The Chargers’ bruised roster probably isn’t significantly better than the Cardinals’ bruised roster, but they do have significantly better players at key positions, especially at quarterback, on the offensive and defensive lines and also at outside linebacker. The Chargers also have the 10th-best rushing attack, led by J.K. Dobbins, who went into the week sixth in the NFL with 438 yards on 81 carries and three touchdowns. The Cardinals’ defense is 29th in the 32-team league, giving up 153 yards per game.
Matchup to watch: The Chargers’ defense came within one quarter of becoming the first team in history to shut out the Broncos in a game in Denver. But the Chargers failed to contain scrambling quarterback Bo Nix, who led a Denver comeback that wiped out nearly all of a 23-0 Chargers lead in the fourth quarter. The Chargers held on for a 23-16 victory. Their difficulty containing Nix doesn’t bode well for tackling the challenge that Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray presents. Murray is at his best when he’s making things happen on the fly. The key for the Chargers is keeping Murray from creating havoc with his feet.
Chargers win if: If the Chargers can turn field goals into touchdowns, which they didn’t do as well as they could have against the Broncos, then they should defeat the Cardinals. The Chargers’ first four possessions resulted in two touchdowns and two field goals against Denver. If they can turn those possessions into four touchdowns, then they would be difficult to defeat against the Cardinals.
Fantasy sleeper: Quarterback Justin Herbert’s bum ankle kept him from being at his best during the Chargers’ losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. He regained his mobility in the Chargers’ victory over the Broncos, setting season highs in completions (21), attempts (34) and yards (237). The Chargers planned to unlock the playbook as he regained his mobility, and it would seem that moment is at hand. Herbert’s first 300-yard passing game of the season could be at hand, as well. The only question is the health, or lack thereof, of the Chargers’ wide receivers.
Prediction: The Chargers are slight favorites to win their second consecutive game on the road, and who are we to argue with the oddsmakers? The Chargers should take care of business against a lackluster Arizona defense. Chargers 28, Cardinals 17.