Loading...
Week 7 of the NFL season has plenty of exciting matchups. One that should gather plenty of attention is between the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. Both teams have a young and dynamic offense that is led by a star quarterback, so let’s dive into how each team did in Week 6 and what to look out for in Week 7.
The Chargers are officially over .500 with their Week 6 win over the Broncos. Justin Herbert and company defeated the Broncos 23-16 in Denver which snapped a two-game losing streak for the Chargers. Herbert was sharp as he threw for 237 yards and a touchdown, and it’s been impressive to see Herbert perform well even without a clear-cut WR1.
The receiving corps is primarily made of Ladd McConkey, Joshua Palmer, and Quentin Johnston, but the young group could certainly use a veteran receiver to lead the team. Fortunately for the Chargers, they’ve been able to rely on their rushing attack for the majority of their offense. J.K. Dobbins has been fantastic through the first few weeks as he’s rushed for 438 yards and three touchdowns already.
Plus, it helps to have an elite defense. The Chargers have allowed just 13.2 points per game through Week 6 which ranks first in football. The addition of Jim Harbaugh has brought a more defensive mindset to the team and it’s worked wonders through the first part of the season. There’s a lot to be excited about for the Chargers.
Kyler Murray and the Cardinals had high hopes coming into the season. With the amount of talent and youth in Arizona, this was expected to be a step in the right direction for their rebuild. However, the Cardinals picked up their fourth loss in Week 6 as they suffered a 21-point defeat to the Packers.
The bad news doesn’t stop there though. Marvin Harrison Jr. left the game after taking a hard hit to the head and he’s been diagnosed with a concussion. Plus, James Conner had an abnormally bad performance on the ground and he left the game in the second half. Those two playmakers are critical parts of the offense, and if either has to miss time, it’s going to affect Arizona’s offensive production.
Another problem that the Cardinals are dealing with right now is their defense. Arizona’s defensive unit was one of the worst in all of football last season and they didn’t do much to strengthen it in the offseason. That’s led to the Cardinals allowing 27.2 points per game – the sixth-most in the NFL. That’s an issue the Cardinals need to fix sooner rather than later.
The Chargers quarterback has a favorable matchup against a weak Cardinals secondary in Week 7. The Cardinals’ defense has allowed the 11th-most passing yards and the second-highest completion rate per game this season. Their young secondary has been picked apart by quarterbacks this season, and I’m expecting Herbert to continue that trend.
Last week, the Cardinals allowed Jordan Love to throw for 258 yards and four touchdowns. Prior to that, they allowed 244 yards to Brock Purdy and 233 yards to Jayden Daniels in the last few matchups. Los Angeles is going to create their game plan around Herbert and let him find his receivers downfield and attack the weak Cardinals secondary. As long as Dobbins doesn’t get all the red-zone touches, Herbert has a solid chance to throw multiple touchdowns.
Keith is a sports writer who has evolved into a sports betting personality across social media in the past several years. He specializes in MLB but also writes about the NFL and NBA.