Cardinals steal a MNF win over Chargers with last-second kick

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Kyler Murray did it again.

The Arizona Cardinals‘ quarterback turned and burned Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers, breaking free for a 44-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that brought back memories of his 50-yard touchdown run at San Francisco two weeks ago. The run put the Cardinals ahead 14-9 early in the fourth quarter, a lead that was eventually lost to the leg of Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker, 15-14. But Murray’s ability to guide Arizona’s offense on a winning drive, controlling the clock and putting his offense in a good position led Cardinals to a 17-15 win on a 32-yard field goal by kicker Chad Ryland on the last play.

The win put Arizona in a two-way tie for second place in the NFC West with a trip to Miami coming up this weekend. The win also helped Arizona redeem itself after an embarrassing loss in Green Bay last week.

But it was Murray’s run that sparked the sudden resurgence.

He became the fourth quarterback since the merger to have multiple touchdown runs of 40 or more yards, joining Justin Fields in 2022, Michael Vick in 2002 and Steve McNair in 1998, according to ESPN Research.

Most surprising performance: The Cardinals defense allowed Justin Herbert to throw for 349 yards, but it prevented him from throwing a touchdown pass. Arizona had two massive stops on third down, one by rookie cornerback Max Melton and another by second-year defensive back Garrett Williams. Both helped hold the Chargers to four field goals. The Cardinals’ pass rush was able to get to Herbert seven times for three sacks.

Troubling trend: Cardinals rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. finished with 21 yards on three catches, extending his streak of not hitting 100 yards in a game to five. His catches came in the first, second and fourth quarters, continuing a trend of Harrison disappearing during entire quarters or more. His six targets on Monday night were tied for the third fewest in a game this season.

QB breakdown: Murray didn’t have an eye-popping game, throwing for 145 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 14-for-26 passing, but he made the plays when he needed to, such as the touchdown run. And he controlled the offense while scrambling to buy time when needed. — Josh Weinfuss

Next game: at Miami Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

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Quarterback Justin Herbert looked like himself again, throwing for 349 yards and picking apart the Cardinals’ defense with ease. And yet it wasn’t enough for the Chargers.

Their defense, which had been one of the best against the run all season, faltered, allowing the Cardinals to rush for 178 yards, which included a 44-yard run by Murray in the fourth quarter for a touchdown.

The Chargers never found the end zone Monday night, relying on Dicker for five field goals. Their offense, which had dominated teams on the ground early in the season, is no longer dominant and the team hasn’t scored in the fourth quarter since Week 1. It will be another week of questions for this team and offensive coordinator Greg Roman about how to fix the offense and whether there need to be upgrades at receiver.

Prediction for next week: Ladd McConkey has first 100-yard receiving game after struggling Monday. The Chargers will play the New Orleans Saints in Week 8, who have given up the seventh-most passing yards in the NFL over their past three games. It could be a breakout game for McConkey, who had five catches for 45 yards Monday. Herbert has described McConkey as one of his favorite targets.

Promising/troubling trend: Herbert has been sacked multiple times in the past four games. Herbert has spent much of the time navigating collapsing pockets and throwing while having a defensive lineman draped around his waist or other body parts. He was sacked three times Monday, the fourth straight game the opponent has sacked him multiple times. It’s a concerning stat for an offensive line that features three first-round picks in left guard Zion Johnson, right tackle Joe Alt and left tackle Rashawn Slater.

Eye-popping stat: Herbert is the fastest player in NFL history to 1,700 completions, according to Elias Sports Bureau. In a season in which Herbert has career lows in almost every category, he looked like the Herbert of old and set another record. The only player to reach 1,700 completions in fewer than 70 games is Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes who did in 69. Herbert’s 1,700th career completion was to Will Dissly at 14:20 in the second quarter. — Kris Rhim

Next game: vs. New Orleans Saints (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday)