The Cardinals have one of the worst offenses in the NFL. They’re ranked 31st in rushing and 32nd in passing and have only topped 20 points in a game twice. That’s what happens when you hire Mike McCoy to be your offensive coordinator.
But they let McCoy go and elevated Byron Leftwich to offensive coordinator and something interesting happened: He remembered he has David Johnson at running back.
With Leftwich calling plays Johnson has gotten at least 20 touches in three straight games and gone over 100 yards from scrimmage for three straight games, something that happened exactly once in seven games with McCoy at the helm.
Now surprisingly the re-establishment of the running game has helped rookie quarterback Josh Rosen out a little bit. Over the last three games the UCLA product has thrown six touchdowns and five interceptions after throwing for three scores with five picks under McCoy.
This is your classic case of addition by subtraction and the Cardinals offense looks like it’s getting back on track a little bit. But is it enough to hang with the Chargers, who at 7-3 are trying to avoid falling a full two games behind the Chiefs in the AFC West? Let’s take a look at three key matchups to try and figure it out:
Chargers DE Joey Bosa vs. Cardinals QB Josh Rosen
Bosa returned for the first time a week ago and although he did not record a sack in a 23-22 loss to Denver he did chase Case Keenum around enough to make his presence felt. Rosen has already been sacked 22 times in eight games and was dropped six times against the Broncos a few games back. Sure a lot of that is on the Arizona offensive line but Rosen, as many rookies do, can also be prone to holding onto the ball too long. If Leftwich doesn’t give him places to go with it quickly (perhaps to Johnson, one of the best pass-catching backs in the league) and Rosen doesn’t recognize it then Bosa could have a mammoth game.
Cardinals DE Chandler Jones vs. Chargers Tackles
Since the start of the 2015 season nobody in the NFL has more sacks than Chandler Jones. I’ll bet a lot of folks didn’t realize that. He has 10.5 already this year and is coming on strong with four in his last two games. Arizona’s defense, for as little help as it’s been getting from the offense, has been one of the better units in the NFL. Unlike Rosen we know Philip Rivers has the ability to get the ball out quickly. The Broncos sacked him three times and on two of them he wasn’t even out of his drop by the time the defenders were on him. If the Bolts line doesn’t handle Jones and the Cardinals front better than it did Denver’s then Rivers won’t be able to get the ball to his stable of weapons.
Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald vs. Chargers CB Casey Hayward
After intercepting 11 passes in his first two seasons with the Chargers Hayward doesn’t have one yet in 2018. He also has just six passes defensed so it stands to reason that opposing QB’s aren’t going his way all that often anymore. Hayward often finds himself on the other team’s best wideout. Even at the age of 35 Fitzgerald holds that title for the Cardinals and if Arizona understands history at all they’ll be looking for him a lot. Fitzgerald needs just six catches to break Jerry Rice’s record for most receptions with one team. Rice had 1,281 with the 49ers before hauling in another 268 with the Raiders and Seahawks. Fitzgerald is still dangerous so if Hayward can lock him down and maybe even get that first pick it would go a long way towards a Chargers win.
Derek’s Prediction
The Chargers are infinitely capable of beating the Rams … and losing to the Cardinals. That is the inconsistency that has driven its fan base crazy for years. Last week’s loss to the Broncos is a perfect example of that. It either put their deficiencies under a microscope or snapped them back to reality and was the “wake up call” that head coach Anthony Lynn says it could be. I’m thinking it’s somewhere in the middle but closer to the latter.
Final score: Chargers 27, Cardinals 17
