Los Angeles Chargers hit new low after loss to Cardinals

Los Angeles was bullied and failed to score a touchdown against one of the NFL's worst defensive lines

Sep 29, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (27) carries the ball in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers have a hit a season low after suffering a 17-15 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona (3-4) had not won a game outside of its division or against a winning team all season prior to Monday's game. That all changed when the Chargers' putrid offense failed to score a touchdown during the first-ever Monday Night Football game exclusive to ESPN+.

Los Angeles (3-3) entered Week 7 averaging a dismal 136 passing yards per game. However, the passing game wasn't the issue on Monday as Justin Herbert threw for 349 yards.

Instead, it was the Chargers' rushing attack — which the team and offensive coordinator Greg Roman are supposed to pride themselves on — that struggled.

The Chargers were held to 59 rushing yards on 22 carries against a Cardinals team that entered the week allowing 139.6 rushing yards per game — the seventh-worst in the NFL.

In what was supposed to be a showcase for Los Angeles in the trenches, the Chargers finished with about 69 yards fewer than their season average.

Through seven weeks, it is clear that the Chargers have not figured out how to get both facets of their offense going at the same time. As a result, they squandered the chance to maintain their second-place spot in the AFC West and just a two-game deficit behind the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kansas City has a favorable schedule remaining that likely won't result in more than three losses. Meanwhile, the Chargers face uncertainty after being bullied up front by a team that had the worst pass-rush win rate in the NFL entering the week.

On top of stopping the run, Arizona hit Herbert seven times, sacked him three times and had two more tackles for loss as icing on the cake.

The Chargers have their tackles of the future in Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt. Now, it looks like the interior offensive line is on par with the wide receivers in terms of position of (dire) need.

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