By Daniel Popper, Doug Haller and Hunter Patterson
Second-year kicker Chad Ryland nailed a 32-yard field goal as time expired to give the Arizona Cardinals a 17-15 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on “Monday Night Football.” Kyler Murray led the Cardinals from their own 30-yard line to the Chargers’ 14 to set Ryland up.
Ryland, 25, entered Monday’s contest 3 of 3 on field goals between 30 and 39 yards.
Murray finished 14 of 26 passing for 145 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Murray also rushed for a 64 yards and a touchdown on six attempts. His lone touchdown pass went to Greg Dortch in the second quarter, registering Arizona’s first points of the game.
Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker accounted for all of Los Angeles’ points, going 5 of 5 on field goals, with a long of 59 yards. Quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 349 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. The Chargers accounted for just 59 yards on the ground, as J.K. Dobbins led the way with 40 on 14 attempts.
Murray delivers late, but delivers nonetheless
When Arizona needed Murray most, the oft-criticized quarterback delivered. First, Murray broke loose with a 44-yard touchdown run that gave the Cardinals a 14-9 lead early in the fourth quarter. Then with Arizona needing a field goal to win, Murray drove the Cardinals into position.
Ryland did the rest, kicking the 32-yarder for the win.
Murray longs to be the quarterback who leads the Cardinals to a Super Bowl win. These are plays he has to make, games he has to win. He didn’t post a perfect quarterback rating as he did earlier this season against the Los Angeles Rams. He struggled to ignite Arizona’s vertical passing game, a problem all season.
But with Arizona trailing 15-14 with 1 minute and 54 seconds left, he trotted onto the field and did his job.
Even in a watered-down NFC West, this was a game Arizona (3-4) had to have. The Cardinals have been too inconsistent to suddenly think they are contenders, but it was enough to keep their fans believing. The same can be said for their quarterback. — Doug Haller, senior Arizona writer
Late penalty costs Chargers
The Chargers had a one-point lead late. On a second-and-10, Murray threw incomplete to Marvin Harrison Jr. down the left sideline. Los Angeles cornerback Cam Hart broke up the pass with a hit to Harrison’s chest. The referees threw a flag on Hart of unnecessary roughness.
That turned what would have been a third-and-10 into a Cardinals first down near midfield. On the next play, James Conner broke loose on a check down to move Arizona into field goal range. And that was the game. The Chargers still had a chance to stop the Cardinals.
They struggled to tackle Conner all game, and that showed up in the game’s most crucial moment. But it is hard to overlook the magnitude of what was at best a questionable call. — Daniel Popper, Chargers staff writer
Chargers’ offensive arsenal lets Herbert down
The Chargers offense still should have scored considerably more than 15 points. Herbert played his best game of the season, topping 300 yards passing for the first time.
But he was let down by the players around him. The Chargers are injured at receiver and tight end. They were already lacking talent before these injuries. The pass catchers struggled with drops and separation in the game. The Chargers also struggled to find any semblance of a run game against one of the worst run defenses in the league.
The call was big. The Chargers, though, should have never been in this position. They failed to score a touchdown. — Popper
Required reading
(Photo: Norm Hall / Getty Images)
