Monday Night Football: Chargers vs Cardinals Predictions

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

Oct 13, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals play host to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football tonight.

It's a pivotal time for the Cardinals, who started the season 2-4 and desperately need a win to keep their hopes of a playoff push realistically alive.

Arizona hosts a Chargers team boasting one of the league's top rushing attacks and defensive units.

Who emerges on top?

Cardinals vs Chargers Predictions

Donnie Druin - Is Arizona’s season in danger of being lost already? The Cardinals would slip to 2-5 with a loss on Monday night and would be staring that reality right in the face. The Chargers boast one of the league’s top defensive units, though this feels like a game where the Cardinals finally figure some things out offensively. Give me Kyler Murray marching the team on a game-winning drive in a high scoring primetime battle. AZ 33, LA 28

Richie Bradshaw - The Cardinals were spanked by the Packers last week and had an extra day to prepare for their first home game since 2022 on Monday night. The Cards are hosting the Chargers, who have been up and down this year, but often are solid than not. The Bolts are at their best when JK Dobbins is running hard, especially with Justin Herbert’s struggles passing the ball this year. AZ is anything but stout against the run and if Dobbins gets going early then LA will control the pace of this game. It won’t be a high-scoring game, but I don’t think the Cardinals can hang on in this one with the Chargers likely to control the clock. LAC 20 AZ 10

Jack London - I was concerned about this game weeks ago - it does not seem like a good matchup as Los Angeles is doing the things Arizona wants to do but…better. Drew Petzing will need to call his best game for the Cardinals to have a prayer here in my honest opinion - not to mention the defense has to play way better. I just don't see either happening. LAC 27 AZ 17

Alex D’Agostino - The Cardinals have proven multiple times this season that they’re not true competitors in this league yet. It’s not that there isn’t a high ceiling, but the execution isn’t there, and the preparation is clearly lacking. This Chargers team might have been beatable for the 2024 Cardinals under Brandon Staley, but Jim Harbaugh is a good coach who consistently does more with less on both sides of the ball. Pair that with an excellent LA O-line, and Arizona’s weak pass rush will be hard pressed to even touch Justin Herbert. Speaking of Herbert, he’ll finally have the opportunity to truly materialize all the “what-ifs” against a weak Cardinals defense. I don’t expect a high-scoring affair, but the Cardinals won’t be in this game, as they fall to a dismal 1-10 in their black alternate uniforms on pseudo-primetime. LAC 27 AZ 13

Kevin Hicks - It’s do or die time in the desert. This is the Cardinals’ chance to assert themselves in the NFC West race - especially due to the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers looking shaky as of late. The Chargers pose a difficult matchup and Jim Harbaugh is a savant - this game will likely be won by whoever wins the time of possession battle. Can James Conner and Kyler Murray create enough of an attack to be able to beat L.A. through the air in key moments? Oddly enough, it feels more likely than the other way around - the WR room of the Chargers is woefully undermanned as it is, but Quentin Johnson is expected to miss the game as well. Cardinals win the game off of a Chad Ryland field goal. AZ 20 LAC 17

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