By Daniel Popper, Doug Haller and Hunter Patterson

Sophomore kicker Chad Ryland scored a 32-yard field goal as time expired to give the Arizona Cardinals a 17-15 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on “Monday Night Football.” Kyler Murray led the Cardinals from their own 30-yard line to the Chargers’ 14 to set up Ryland.

Ryland, 25, entered Monday’s game 3-for-3 on field goals between 30 and 39 yards.

Murray finished 14 of 26 passing for 145 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Murray also rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown on six attempts. His lone touchdown pass went to Greg Dortch in the second quarter, registering Arizona’s first points of the game.

Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker was responsible for all of Los Angeles’ points, going 5-for-5 on field goals and going 59 yards. Quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 349 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. The Chargers accounted for just 59 yards on the ground, while JK Dobbins led the way with 40 on 14 attempts.

Murray delivers late, but delivers anyway

When Arizona needed Murray most, the oft-criticized quarterback delivered. First, Murray broke loose with a 44-yard touchdown run that gave the Cardinals a 14-9 lead early in the fourth quarter. With the game on the line, with Arizona needing a field goal to win, Murray drove the Cardinals into position.

Ryland did the rest, kicking a 32-yarder for the win.

Murray wants to be the best, the quarterback who leads the Cardinals to a Super Bowl victory. These are plays he has to make, games he has to win. He didn’t get a perfect quarterback rating like he did earlier this season against the Los Angeles Rams. He struggled to spark Arizona’s vertical passing game, a problem all season.

But with Arizona trailing 15-14 with 1 minute, 54 seconds left, he trotted onto the field and did his job.

Even in a watered-down NFC West, this was a game Arizona (3-4) had to play. The Cardinals were too inconsistent to suddenly think they were contenders, but it was enough to make their fans believe. The same can be said for their quarterback. – Doug Haller, senior writer from Arizona

Late penalty charges Chargers

The Chargers had a one-point lead late. At the second-and-10, Murray threw incomplete to Marvin Harrison Jr. along the left sideline. Los Angeles cornerback Cam Hart broke up the pass with a punch to Harrison’s chest. The referees threw a flag at Hart for unnecessary roughness.

That turned what would have been a third-and-10 into a Cardinals first at midfield. On the next play, James Conner broke loose on a checkdown to put Arizona within field goal range. And that was the game. The Chargers still had a chance to stop the Cardinals.

They struggled to tackle Conner all game, and it showed up at the most crucial moment of the game. But it’s hard to overlook the magnitude of what was a questionable decision at best. — Daniel Popper, Chargers staff writer

The Chargers offensive arsenal is failing Herbert

The Chargers’ offense still should have scored significantly more than 15 points. Herbert played his best game of the season and passed 300 meters for the first time.

But he was let down by the players around him. The Chargers are hurt at receiver and tight end. Before these injuries, they already lacked talent. The pass catchers suffered from drops and separation in the game. The Chargers also struggled to find any kind of run game against one of the worst run defenses in the league.

The appeal was great. However, the Chargers should never have been in this position. They failed to score a touchdown. — Popper

Required reading

(Photo: Norm Hall/Getty Images)