The Cardinals controlled Sunday's game against the Chargers for a large chunk of the afternoon, dominating on the ground while Kyler Murray made his return from injury with a couple of big throws to DeAndre Hopkins. None of it mattered in the end, however, as Justin Herbert and Brandon Staley delivered in crunch time for Los Angeles. The former threw three touchdowns on a busy day through the air, while Staley successfully dialed up a last-minute two-point conversion to seal the Chargers' 25-24 come-from-behind victory.
L.A. was far from perfect with the ball in its hands in Arizona, turning it over twice -- and nearly a third time -- before coming alive down the stretch. Much of Herbert's production, in fact, came in spite of a short-area strategy deployed by offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, and behind a battered offensive line that saw both Corey Linsley and Trey Pipkins suffer injuries. But Murray's Cardinals had trouble maintaining possession late in the fourth quarter, giving the Chargers a chance at a go-ahead score with less than two minutes to play. Arizona drops to 4-8 with the loss, while L.A. improves to 6-5.
Here are additional takeaways from Sunday's cross-conference clash:
Why the Chargers won
It wasn't because their offensive line and play-calling got corrected, that's for sure. Justin Herbert's mostly stellar performance was nearly wasted because of their inability to push the ball downfield, with Austin Ekeler leading L.A. in catches (11) as Joe Lombardi directed one screen/dump-off/quick strike after another. Surely some of the strategy stemmed from more injuries up front, but either way, Herbert and Ekeler's execution ended up saving the day. The former showed his trademark zip throwing all day, even without any real ground support, and was unfazed on the go-ahead scoring drive. The entire receiving corps showed up, too: besides Ekeler, Josh Palmer, Keenan Allen and an especially spry DeAndre Carter all had at least five catches.
Brandon Staley deserves credit as well, opting to go for two points and the win after their final TD rather than settling for a potential trip to overtime. Defensively, L.A. was suspect yet again, but Michael Davis made a couple of clutch plays, including a near-pick on Kyler Murray's final pass; and Derwin James was a force, logging both a pick and a forced fumble.
Why the Cardinals lost
They had no rhythm with the game on the line. Arizona actually put up a solid fight, dominating on the ground -- James Conner totaled 140 scrimmage yards, with 120 as a runner -- and keeping almost everything in front of them on defense. Kyler Murray, meanwhile, put some pop back into their passing game out of the gate, connecting with DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown for a handful of chain-moving darts. But as per usual in the Kliff Kingsbury offense, things got chaotic in crunch time, with Murray absorbing a sack before a penalty-riddled punt enabled L.A. to punch it in and take the lead for good. Conner's early fumble, plus a noticeably careless drive from Murray as both a thrower and scrambler, gave the Chargers the turnover advantage, too.
Turning point
You might've said the Cardinals' final TD drive, because it marked the last time Kingsbury's offense looked even remotely capable of putting the game away; Arizona had three straight three-and-outs after it took a 24-17 lead, and that doesn't include the two-and-out that ended the contest. But Michael Davis' sack of Murray on second-and-10, with Arizona backed up to its own 10, basically confirmed the Chargers would get the ball back with great field position and a chance to retake the lead.
Play of the game
The winning one. Or at least the one that set up the win. Herbert's play-action dart to Ekeler was perfectly executed, allowing Staley to go for two and give the Chargers the win on the following play:
What's next
The Chargers (6-5) will stay on the road in Week 13, visiting the rival Raiders (4-7), who edged the Seahawks in overtime on Sunday. The Cardinals (4-8) will rest up on their bye before returning in Week 14 for a Monday night matchup with the Patriots (6-5), who fell to the Vikings on Thanksgiving.