The first Cardinals possession on Monday night went off the rails on their sixth snap.
Chargers defensive tackle Teair Tart picked off a Kyler Murray pass near midfield, but running back James Conner made sure that the damage was minor. Conner knocked the ball out of Tart’s hands and the Cardinals recovered to kick off a big night for the veteran back.
Conner ran 19 times for 101 yards and he had two catches for 51 yards, including a 33-yard scamper that set up Chad Ryland’s game-winning field goal at the end of the fourth quarter. That effort proved crucial to a much-needed win for a Cardinals team that was blown out in Green Bay last week and head coach Jonathan Gannon didn’t hold back on praise for Conner’s play after the game.
“I thought he was lights out,” Gannon said, via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. “There were a lot of times he is getting four yards and it should be probably one or two. He put the team on his back today and carried us home.”
It’s a little early to start looking at the playoff picture, but the win moved the Cardinals to 3-4 and that looks a lot better than 2-5 would in a crowded NFC. The key now is for the Cardinals to show they’re capable of doing this on a weekly basis.
