Cardinals vs Chargers Bold Predictions

The Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals battle on Monday Night Football.

Richie Bradshaw | Oct 20, 2024

Oct 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (27) carries the ball in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

In this story:

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals return home from their two-game road trip and have an extra day to prepare to host the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football.

The Chargers have been a good team this year and have overcome some of their flaws thanks to a great running game and a stellar defense. They don't score a lot of points, but they allow even less defensively. They simply find a way to get it done, hence a 3-2 record.

Back in the desert, the Cardinals aim to start the season 3-0 against California based teams, but this will be quite the test for AZ's offense. Their middle of the pack unit faces a top-10 defense across the board. This will be a low-scoring slugfest.

Can the Cardinals grind out another win?

It won't be easy, but it's not necessarily impossible. Below are three bold predictions I have lined up for this game -- some good and some bad. Let's take a closer look.

No receiver gets 60+ receiving yards for the Cardinals

This Chargers pass defense is rock solid this season, allowing 192 yards per game, which is eighth best in the NFL. The defense as a whole has been stellar, allowing more than 10 points just once this season. This will be quite the challenge for the Cardinals and may legitimately be the best defense they've faced so far... and that's quite the compliment.

Arizona is towards the bottom of the league in passing YPG with 187 on average. Kyler Murray has eclipsed 200 passing yards in half of the teams games this year, but he's been quite conservative and it's unlikely we see him break his season-high of 266.

The Cardinals have also had trouble getting explosive production from their pass catchers, with a single 100-yard performance back in week two by Marvin Harrison Jr. Despite being cleared of concussion protocol, I have a hard time believing the Cardinals can light up the box score through the air.

Murray could cross 200 yards, but he'll have to spread the ball around quite a bit, because I don't see any Cards pass catcher grabbing over 60-yards at best in this game.

JK Dobbins goes over 100 rushing yards, scores twice

The Chargers are 10th in the league in rushing YPG with 127.8 and Dobbins leads the charge averaging 87.6 YPG. Now finally healthy, Dobbins has realized his potential with the Bolts and he's a top candidate for Comeback Player of the Year.

Conversely, the Cardinals' run defense is among the four worst in the league, allowing 153 YPG. Although AZ has only surrendered a 100-yard rushing game to two different running backs this season, I feel they're about to allow their third.

Dobbins did cool down a bit after consecutive 130+ rushing yard games to start the year, but he nabbed 96 yards last week against a top-10 run defense with the Broncos with a whopping 26 carries.

Expect another heavy workload for Dobbins as he goes over 100 and consequently finds the paydirt twice as the Bolts' main source of offense.

And that's because...

Cardinals hold Justin Herbert under 200 passing yards

Herbert is still a great quarterback, if not elite. However, he was dealt about the worst hand possible this season with his pass catchers. Highlighted by Ladd McConkey and Quentin Johnston, the Chargers have been one of the four worst teams when passing the ball this season. Herbert has also had just one game with more than one touchdown pass this season.

Although the Cardinals aren't some elite pass defense, I believe in them to have a better day than the Bolts will through the air. We've seen solid days from this pass defense... We haven't seen many encouraging games from the Chargers' passing attack.

The Cardinals will find a way to keep the trend alive for the Bolts as they continue struggling to pass the ball, hence why Dobbins is set for a big day.