Everything That Went Right/Wrong in Cardinals' Loss vs. Chargers

The Arizona Cardinals played the Los Angeles Chargers down to the wire, but their efforts weren't enough to win. Here's everything that went right and wrong:

Richie Bradshaw | Nov 27, 2022

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So close yet so far for the Arizona Cardinals against the Los Angeles Chargers, as the home team blew a fourth-quarter comeback within the final two minutes of the game to set the team at 4-8 on the year. The good news? The bye week has finally arrived for the Cardinals.

This loss may not have been as demoralizing as some of the other losses the team has had in 2022, but it was absolutely crushing nonetheless. Still, there were plenty of good things and bad things to take away from this game, so let's take a closer look at both sides of things for the Cardinals:

What went right

Defense for 58 minutes

Where has this defense been all year?!

For the first 58 minutes of this game, the Cardinals' defense played hot and held a potent Chargers offense to just 17 points and only three in the second half (prior to the final drive). The team also sacked Justin Herbert four times and had two turnovers taken away from the team thanks to some questionable instant replay.

For a unit that is depleted and was certainly outmatched, they didn't play like it for 58 minutes. This kind of performance is one that you let build some confidence for the rest of your team. There are tons of great plays to highlight and use as teaching tape moving forward.

James Conner shines brightest

James Conner hasn't been the Pro Bowl-caliber player he was a year ago this season for one reason or another. Between injuries and a straight-up lack of production, the Cardinals have not gotten their money's worth out of Conner in 2022.

That was not the story against the Chargers, however, as Conner had one of the best games of his career in Arizona. Conner carried the rock 25 times for 120 yards, which is a career-best with the Cardinals and his first game above the century mark for rushing. Conner also tallied three receptions for 20 yards and a touchdown to his total, giving him 150 scrimmage yards and a score.

Some of the other stars for the Cardinals shined as well like DeAndre Hopkins (four receptions, 87 yards, and a touchdown), but Conner's performance was perhaps the biggest difference maker for the Cardinals in this game.

What went wrong

Defense for the final two minutes

What happened to the defense?

After a dominating performance for 99% of the game, the unit was broken and allowed the Chargers to go down the field. Sure, the box score was never a beautiful sight for the Cardinals, but they still performed as well as they have all season. But alas, it was simply not meant to be.

Justin Herbert went right down the field on a defense that showed very little resistance and not only scored a touchdown but even got the go-ahead two-point conversion to seal the win away for the Chargers. It doesn't get more brutal than that.

Inability to close the game out

When push came to shove, the Cardinals simply didn't have what it takes to slam the door shut on the Chargers. The Cardinals have lost a lot of games in 2022, but this was perhaps the most infuriating one yet.

In spite of the resilience shown throughout the game to make the fourth-quarter comeback and get a crucial win, the Cardinals proved they simply aren't good enough to close out the close games. This is what separates the good teams from the great teams, but the Cardinals haven't even shown the ability to be good on a weekly basis.

This was an opportunity for major growth and to silence some of the critics, but instead, the Cardinals fell flat on their faces for the umpteenth time. In the famous words of one Jesse Pinkman, "He can't keep getting away with it!"

When will the misery end?

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