The Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals will face off this Sunday on the heels of Arizona’s 38-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers Monday night.
Sitting at 4-7, the season is basically all but lost for the Cardinals, but the Chargers (5-5) are still in the AFC wild card race. They won’t be winning the division in 2022, but can still make a run off an easy schedule and sneak into the playoffs.
In the offseason, the Chargers spent a ton of money and draft capital on bolstering their defense. Unfortunately for them, they have been almost as banged up as the Cardinals, with many of their key players missing Sunday’s game.
Los Angeles gave free agent cornerback J.C. Jackson a lucrative contract extension in the offseason and acquired perennial Pro-Bowl edge rusher Khalil Mack in a trade with the Bears.
Jackson will miss this game after suffering a season-ending knee injury, but Mack will be a full go and pose problems for a patchwork offensive line. It has been a struggle for Mack, however, as the rest of the Chargers offensive line is on injured reserve, including Joey Bosa.
The Chargers also locked up one of their own in Mike Williams, who has been in and out of the lineup with a couple injuries this season. His status for Sunday’s game is very much in question.
In the first round of the NFL Draft, the Chargers selected offensive guard Zion Johnson, a target that had been heavily linked to the Cardinals. They did not pick again until the third round, as their second-rounder was sent to the Bears in the Khalil Mack deal.
It was clearly an all-in approach by the Chargers while star quarterback Justin Herbert is on a rookie deal, but it unfortunately hasn’t worked out for them to this point.
Here’s a full breakdown of the Chargers offseason moves
Notable Offseason Additions:
- CB J.C. Jackson
- DL Sebastian Joseph-Day
- DL Austin Johnson
- LB Kyle Van Noy
- TE Gerald Everett
- CB Bryce Callahan
Notable Offseason Losses:
- T Bryan Bulaga
- CB Chris Harris
- TE Jared Cook
- DT Linval Joseph
- LB Kyzir White
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