Good, Bad and Ugly from Cardinals' Thrilling Win

The Cardinals won in walk-off fashion, despite taking a bumpy route to doing so.

Oct 21, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) runs against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

ARIZONA--The Arizona Cardinals secured a gritty, last-second win off the foot of kicker Chad Ryland, as they took down the Los Angeles Chargers at home by a score of 17-15.

It was by no means a smooth or effortless showing from the Cardinals, but, with their backs against the wall, Kyler Murray, James Conner and the offense executed a game-winning drive for a much-needed victory.

That said, the win did still highlight some areas that are severely lacking from this Cardinals team. There is praise to be shared on what was well-executed, and notes of improvement that this team won't contend without.

The Good

RB James Conner

Without fail, the Cardinals offense functions its best on the ground, in the arms of their bulldozer running back. James Conner was spectacular in Monday night's game, rushing for 101 yards on 19 carries - good for 5.3 yards per carry.

He also caught two passes for 51 yards, the latter of which came in the form of a 33-yard rumble on a screen pass to bring the Cardinals into game-winning field goal range late in the fourth. Conner was his ever-patient, dominant self, rumbling through a stout Chargers D-line and coming up big as a reliable target for Murray late.

Defense - Nick Rallis

The Cardinals' defense did struggle with leaving men wide open, and surrendered a few third down conversions. It certainly wasn't a dominant effort, but the scheme looked creative, depsite some gaping holes in the occasional soft zone play.

As a whole, the pass rush did manage to get Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert off balance as the game went on, and came up with critical stops in clutch situations.

Cornerback Max Melton was exploited late for some poor coverage, but the rookie out of Rutgers played a very good game as a whole, picking up nine tackles (eight solo) and a brilliant third down PBU in one-on-one coverage. So too did Garrett Williams, with a PBU of his own and five tackles.

The Cardinals' thin defensive front picked up five tackles-for-loss, and hit Herbert seven times, with three sacks to show for it. Naquan Jones, Ben Stille and Dante Stills each recorded a sack as Arizona's pass rush remains thin.

As for the usually-defunct run defense, the Cardinals were brilliant at keeping J.K. Dobbins down, holding him to just 40 yards on 14 carries. As a whole, Arizona's defense allowed just 59 yards on the ground over 22 carries - a sub-par 2.7 yards per carry for Los Angeles.

That is not only a step in the right direction, but a crucial one. Forcing opponents to become one-dimensional, even with a poor pass defense, can only help your chances of getting stops in critical moments, even against some of the best quarterbacks.

Stopping the run is huge, and the Cardinals finally looked competent at doing so Monday night.

Of course, it can't be ignored that Herbert was able to throw for 349 yards - though they did not allow a 100-yard receiver. There is still a significant need for a talent infusion, both in the secondary and on the D-line. But defensive coordinator Nick Rallis and his unit bent without breaking, as the Cardinals held the Chargers without a touchdown, forcing five field goals.

The Bad

WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

This is not an indictment of the pick, or a claim that Harrison is a bust, or anything of the sort. But the rookie wideout looked off on Monday night, as he has since his breakout game in week two. He only recorded three receptions on six targets, going for 21 yards.

There were times where he was open, and Arizona's O-line couldn't hold up long enough for Murray to find him. There were times where Murray made a poor throw to him. Certainly, the poor production hasn't been all Harrison's fault.

But in the fourth quarter, on second and 10 on their own 30, a perfect pass was dropped to an open Harrison down the right sideline.

He went up for the ball, and had a clean shot at it, but it slipped through the rookie's hands. If not for a 15-yard personal foul on Los Angeles, that could have very well stalled Arizona's hopes for a victory.

It appeared Harrison might have been waiting for a big hit, as he was surrounded by the hard-hitting Chargers defense. But in a critical moment, that's a ball that has to be caught, and he still wasn't able to be a reliable target for Murray - circumstantial factors notwithstanding.

It's not time to overreact on Harrison yet. He will be a good player, but Monday wasn't his night, and it almost cost the Cardinals.

The Ugly

QB Kyler Murray

Murray got the job done on Monday, but it certainly didn't look pretty. Arizona's QB was 14-for-26, throwing for only 145 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

The interception was a poor one, as it was swatted down at the line of scrimmage - but an excellent play by Conner knocked the ball free from the defender's arms, and Michael Wilson regained possession for the Cardinals.

Murray missed a few too many throws, including deep shots to Wilson and Harrison, and looked off from an accuracy standpoint.

But with that said, he still found a way to get the ball down the field. A brilliant 44-yard scramble for a score, and the engineering of a 56-yard game-winning drive were a testament to his toughness and playmaking ability when the Cardinals need it the most.

In truth, it wasn't a traditionally "good" performance by Murray in the box score, but it was a clutch one, and he's now thrown a touchdown pass in every game this season.

Situational Play-calling

Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing has moments of genius, but the first three quarters of Monday night's game showed some poor situational decisions and play designs.

To his credit - he mostly did stick with Conner throughout. But a direct-snap to that was blown up for a loss of six, and a dropped quick slant/in route to the big back instead of one of Arizona's primary pass-catchers aren't examples of Conner's best usage.

Then came a 3rd & 1 on LA's 45. With Conner to pound the ball, Arizona instead ran back-to-back "tush push" plays, putting the ball in the hands of backup quarterback Clayton Tune, instead of Murray or Conner.

Tune was stuffed both times, and the Cardinals turned it over on downs. Regardless of situation, that has not been a successful play for Arizona, and it certainly should not have been the call on back-to-back downs.

Tune, while certainly bigger than Murray, isn't anywhere close to the weapon that should be on the field in key downs. If the Cardinals want hard-nosed short-yardage runs, Conner is there for that. If they want creativity, keep Murray in the game. It's a complete no-brainer, and the stalled drive was entirely avoidable.

That said, Petzing did call a solid second half, dialing up a pair of good-looking scoring drives that ultimately spelled the difference in this game. Credit where credit is due.