Sitting at 4-7, there isn’t much hope for the Arizona Cardinals making the postseason. There are already rumors of Sean Payton eyeing the Cardinals’ potential job opening, which is telling about this season, given it’s only November.
They face the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium.
The Chargers are 5-5 and find themselves in a must-win game of their own. There is still room for them to squeeze into the AFC wild card race with a win, especially considering their impressive performance against the Chiefs last week.
While not mathematically eliminated, the Cardinals would begin to trend that way with another loss on Sunday. Let’s dive into this one.
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Arizona offense vs. L.A. defense
For the first time this season, it appears we will be getting the duo of DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown on the field at the same time. Unfortunately, Rondale Moore and Greg Dortch do not appear as if they’re playing.
Similar to the Cardinals, the Chargers have been decimated by injuries, particularly on defense. They have the 30th-ranked rush defense in the league in terms of yards allowed per game.
Despite the Cardinals having their top two receivers back, the formula for this might be running the ball, which has been a struggle for them this season.
There may be openings in the passing attack, as ascending Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. will only be on one of Hopkins or Brown. Prior to injury, Brown was one of the league leaders in receptions and was operating as the team’s No. 1 option.
Containing edge rusher Khalil Mack could be a problem, as the Cardinals will once again be without left tackle D.J. Humphries. Returning to the team is quarterback Kyler Murray, who is off the injury report and will play after missing the last two games.
If the Cardinals can hold up in pass protection, they should find success against the Chargers defense. If not, it could be another rough outing offensively for the second consecutive week.
L.A. offense vs. Arizona defense
Vance Joseph’s defense was gashed last week against the 49ers and displayed very poor effort. How they respond will be telling about Joseph and their overall ability to bounce back against another talented offense.
Given the Cardinals struggles in stopping the run, Austin Ekeler figures to pose a big problem. Wideout Keenan Allen made his return to the lineup last week and will start in this game. He made an impact in his first game back with five receptions for 94 yards.
After missing time of his own, receiver Mike Williams will miss this game after re-injuring his ankle on a contested catch last week. That could be huge for the Cardinals, as they will be without CB1 Byron Murphy.
If the Cardinals have a similar performance in rush defense as last week, there will no chance of stopping Justin Herbert and this Chargers offense. If they can, there may be some opportunities to take away Allen and force Herbert to look towards other targets.
Key Injuries
Cardinals:
- LT D.J. Humphries (back) out
- WR Rondale Moore (groin) out
- WR Greg Dortch (thumb) questionable
- CB Byron Murphy (back) out
Chargers:
- WR Mike Williams (ankle) out
- S Nasir Adderley (thumb) doubtful
- CB Michael Davis (knee) questionable
