With kicker Cameron Dicker as the only source of points, the Chargers lost 17-15 to the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Monday.

Here’s what we learned from the game:

Chargers need all hands on deck

The receivers were the Chargers’ biggest concern entering the season. They are still the biggest concern when they are halfway through.

Top of the pass-catching options Monday in Quentin Johnston (ankle), Derius Davis (hamstring), DJ Chark Jr. (groin), the Chargers turned tight end Will Dissly into a leading receiver. The tight end, who is known more for his run-blocking ability, was targeted 11 times and finished with a career-high eight catches for 81 yards.

“Will was bummed,” head coach Jim Harbaugh said.

But Dissly still dropped several passes, as did several teammates. The mistakes became especially costly late as the Chargers got inside the Cardinals’ 30-yard line three times in the second half, scoring only field goals each time.

Read more: Chargers produce only field goals and defense allows last-second loss to Cardinals

The receivers huddled in the locker room after the game and discussed some of their issues in support of quarterback Justin Herbert.

“I think just for us it’s extremely important to be a friendly receiving option, or really any receiving option for Justin,” said Simi Fehoko, who has five catches for 89 yards in the past two games, which is more than he has had in any match. his previous NFL seasons.

The running game was almost non-existent Monday, finishing with 59 yards on 22 carries. The Chargers (3-3) have rushed for at least 128 yards in each of their three wins, while failing to crack 62 yards in any of their three losses.

“We’ve got to seam JK (Dobbins) and let him make some of those long runs,” center Bradley Bozeman said. “He’s a great runner, and we didn’t do that today.”

With a rotating cast of receivers and a dormant run game, Herbert still threw for a season-best 349 yards. It was his 26th career 300-yard game, tying him with Dan Marino and Andrew Luck for fourth-most of any player during their five pro seasons, but: according to OptaStatshe became the first NFL quarterback to throw as many yards as he did on Monday and posted a 97.1 passer rating while failing to score an offensive touchdown in defeat.

The fourth quarter misery continues for the Chargers defense

While the offense has done little to address the preseason question, the defense is still trying to address its own lingering problem.

Once again, the Chargers gave up a second-half lead, repeating the battle in the fourth quarter with losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. While players said they were more aware of the importance of containing a mobile quarterback after getting burned by Denver’s Bo Nix last week, Cardinals star Kyler Murray made a 44-yard touchdown run on the second play of the fourth quarter, giving Arizona a brief break. pipe.

James Conner, one of the NFL’s best at forcing missed tackles, won the grudge match against one of the league’s most confident tackling defenses. The running back had 101 yards rushing, the most the Chargers had allowed to a single player this season.

Read more: Who is available? The Arizona loss shows Chargers Justin Herbert needs another receiver

Conner made plays all over the field, including a forced fumble that prevented the Chargers from seizing any momentum on an interception on the first possession. Conner chased down Teair Tart to strip the ball after the defensive lineman came up with an interception on a tipped pass from Khalil Mack. Tart’s interception and a Cam Hart forced fumble were plays that nearly met the Chargers’ weekly goal of two takeaways, but the ball ended up back in the Cardinal’s hands both times.

“I feel like we played well in some spots, but overall it wasn’t a clean day for the defense,” safety Derwin James Jr. said. “We didn’t take advantage of (their) mistakes. … We just have to be better.”

Dicker is the Chargers’ reluctant offensive MVP

Dicker tied a Chargers record with a 59-yard field goal in the second quarter and then hit a second 50-yarder as time expired in the first half. He is only the second kicker in franchise history to make multiple 50-yard field goals in a game, now with two such feats.

With the offense struggling to find its footing, the Chargers are happy that Dicker can save them.

“It’s been automatic,” Herbert said. “It’s so stable and when you can get down there, especially when you get into the red zone like that and know you have points in your back pocket, you can be more aggressive. Unfortunately, things didn’t go our way tonight, and he came up with some big field goals. But we have to do better as an offense.”

Dicker, who signed a contract extension before the season that made him the fifth-highest paid kicker in the NFL, made all five of his attempts Monday and is 15-for-16 on field goals for the season and seven-for-eight on extra point attempts.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.