Justin Herbert passed for over 300 yards, the defense held up well except for a few crucial plays, and kicker Cameron Dicker had a flawless night.
This combination should have led the Los Angeles Chargers to victory, but they ended up with a frustrating loss in Arizona.
After struggling with missed chances throughout the game, the Chargers fell 17-15 to the Arizona Cardinals when Chad Ryland kicked a 32-yard field goal as time ran out on Monday night.
“It was a game of near misses and close calls,” said Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh. “It came down to a lot of details.”
The Chargers (3-3) struggled with their running game, gaining just 59 yards on 22 carries against the NFL’s fourth-worst rushing defense.
Herbert tried to compensate by throwing for 349 yards on 27-of-39 passing, connecting with nine different receivers. The issue was finishing drives.
Entering the game, the Chargers ranked 28th in the NFL in the red zone, and they worsened this by repeatedly stalling their drives.
Los Angeles had 395 total yards and entered Arizona’s territory eight times in nine drives, but they extended their streak of possessions without scoring a touchdown to 15.
Dicker contributed by making five field goals, including a team-record-tying 59-yarder in the first quarter and a 40-yarder with 1:58 left in the game.
The Chargers also lost two important fumbles, having turned the ball over only twice in the first seven games.
Defensive lineman Teair Tart intercepted the ball on Arizona’s first drive, but Cardinals running back James Conner caught up with him, stripped the ball, and the Cardinals recovered. Receiver Jalen Reagor also lost the ball after making a 41-yard catch, fumbling it at Arizona’s 3-yard line into the end zone for a touchback.
“We did a lot of good things, but we’ve got to score points in the red zone,” Herbert said. “We’ve got an amazing kicker, but we’ve got to do a better job for our defense, our special teams, and score in the red zone.”
The Chargers’ defense was strong, but faltered at crucial times.
Quick Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray managed to escape Los Angeles’ pass rush all night, throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Chris Dortch in the second quarter and running for a 44-yard touchdown early in the fourth.
Murray finished with 145 yards on 14-of-26 passing but also rushed for 64 yards on six carries. The Chargers took the lead with Dicker’s last field goal but couldn’t stop the Cardinals from driving down the field for the winning kick.
Los Angeles cornerback Cam Hart was penalized for unnecessary roughness early in that drive for a hit to the head, and Murray effectively targeted the Chargers’ defense with passes over the middle. Conner, who ran for 101 yards on 19 carries, turned a short catch into a 33-yard gain, putting the Cardinals at the Los Angeles 22-yard line. Murray then took a couple of knees to set up Ryland’s winning kick.
“You’ve just got to build a callous,” Harbaugh said. “There’s a taste in the mouth and you’ve just got to suck it up.”
