The Arizona Cardinals’ next game is Monday night at home against the L.A. Chargers. The Cardinals, sitting at 2-4, need a win to keep hope alive for a competitive season, but the 3-2 Chargers present a couple of big problems.
Their two biggest strengths are major weaknesses for the Cardinals.
The Chargers run the ball well. The Cardinals don’t stop the run.
The Chargers play great defense. The Cardinals struggle to score points.
In their three wins, the Chargers have 174.3 rushing yards per game. They are 10th in the league in rushing yards. They are eighth in rushing attempts.
The Cardinals are 29th in rush defense. They allowed only 53 yards to the L.A. Rams in Week 2 but have allowed 130 or more in the other five games. They allow an average of 150.3 rushing yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry.
Then there is the other part.
The Chargers allow the fewest points in the NFL, only 13.2 points per game. Nobody has scored over 20 points against them. Only the Steelers reached 20.
The Cardinals are 17th in the league in scoring, averaging 22.2 per game, but over their last four games, they have averaged 16.0 points. They have scored 14 or fewer points in three of their last four games.
At least one of those things will have to go differently on Monday night if the Cardinals are going to have a chance at winning. They either have to put points on the board when they have the ball or not let the Chargers pile up the rushing yards.
It’s hard to imagine either happening the way they are playing right now.
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