ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals pulled off a gritty, last-second victory on the heels of kicker Chad Ryland as they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers at home by a score of 17-15.

It was by no means a smooth or effortless performance from the Cardinals, but with their backs against the wall, Kyler Murray, James Conner and the offense executed a game-winning drive for a much-needed victory.

That said, the win still highlighted some areas that are sorely lacking on this Cardinals team. There is praise to be given for what was done well, and there are areas for improvement that this team cannot do without.

RB James Conner

Without a doubt, the Cardinals’ offense functions best on the ground, in the arms of their running back bulldozer. James Conner was spectacular in Monday night’s game, rushing for 101 yards on 19 carries – good for 5.3 yards per carry.

He also caught two passes for 51 yards, the last of which came in the form of a 33-yard rumble on a screen pass to put the Cardinals in game-winning field goal range late in the fourth. Conner was his ever-patient, dominant self, rumbling through a stout Chargers D-line and emerging late as a reliable target for Murray.

Defense – Nick Rallis

The Cardinals defense struggled with leaving men wide open, surrendering a few thirds of conversions. It wasn’t a dominant effort by any means, but the plan looked creative despite some gaping holes in the occasional soft zone play.

Overall, the pass rush managed to keep Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert off balance as the game progressed, making critical stops in clutch situations.

Cornerback Max Melton was exploited late due to poor coverage, but the Rutgers rookie had a very good game overall, picking up nine tackles (eight solo) and a brilliant third behind PBU in one-on-one coverage. So did Garrett Williams, with a PBU of his own and five tackles.

The Cardinals’ thin defensive front picked up five tackles for loss and hit Herbert seven times, with three sacks to show for it. Naquan Jones, Ben Stille and Dante Stills each recorded a sack as Arizona’s pass rush remains thin.

As for the usually defunct run defense, the Cardinals were brilliant at containing JK Dobbins, holding him to just 40 yards on 14 carries. Overall, Arizona’s defense allowed just 59 yards on the ground on 22 carries – a sub-par 2.7 yards per carry for Los Angeles.

That is not only a step in the right direction, but also a crucial step. Forcing opponents to become one-dimensional, even with poor pass defense, can only increase your chances of getting stops in critical moments, even against some of the best quarterbacks.

Stopping the run is huge, and the Cardinals finally seemed competent at it on Monday night.

Of course, it can’t be ignored that Herbert was able to throw for 349 yards, even though they didn’t allow a 100-yard receiver. There is still a great need for an injection of talent, both in the secondary and on the D-line. But defensive coordinator Nick Rallis and his unit bent without breaking, as the Cardinals held the Chargers without a touchdown, forcing five field goals.

W. Marvin Harrison Jr.

This isn’t an indictment of the choice, or a claim that Harrison is a failure, or anything like that. But the rookie wideout looked out of sorts Monday night, as he has since his breakout game in week two. He recorded just three receptions on six targets, for 21 yards.

There were times when he was open, and Arizona’s O-line couldn’t hold on long enough for Murray to find him. There were times when Murray made a bad throw to him. To be sure, the poor production wasn’t all Harrison’s fault.

But in the fourth quarter, on second and 10 at their own 30, a perfect pass was given to an open Harrison on the right sideline.

He went for the ball and made a clean shot, but it slipped through the rookie’s hands. If not for a 15-yard personal foul on Los Angeles, it could very well have halted Arizona’s hopes for a victory.

It looked like Harrison was waiting for a big hit as he was surrounded by the tough Chargers defense. But at a critical moment, that’s a ball that needs to be caught, and he still couldn’t be a reliable target for Murray, despite the circumstances.

It’s not yet time to overreact to Harrison. He’ll be a good player, but Monday wasn’t his night and it almost cost the Cardinals.

QB Kyler Murray

Murray got the job done on Monday, but it certainly didn’t look pretty. Arizona’s QB went 14-for-26 and threw for just 145 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

The interception was poor, as it was knocked down at the line of scrimmage, but an excellent play by Conner knocked the ball free from the defender’s arms, and Michael Wilson regained possession for the Cardinals.

Murray missed a few too many throws, including deep shots to Wilson and Harrison, and looked away from an accuracy standpoint.

But that said, he still found a way to get the ball down the field. A brilliant 44-yard scramble for a score, and the technique of a 56-yard game-winning drive were a testament to his toughness and playmaking ability when the Cardinals need it most.

In reality, it wasn’t a traditionally ‘good’ performance from Murray in the box score, but it was a clutch performance, and he has now thrown a touchdown pass in every game this season.

Situational play

Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing has moments of brilliance, but the first three quarters of Monday night’s game showed some poor situational decisions and play designs.

To his credit, he stuck with Conner the entire time. But a direct snap on that was blown up for a loss of six, and a quick slant/in route to the big back instead of one of Arizona’s top pass catchers are not examples of Conner’s best usage.

Then came a 3rd and 1 at LA’s 45. As Conner pounded the ball, Arizona instead ran back-to-back “tush push” plays, putting the ball in the hands of backup quarterback Clayton Tune , instead of Murray or Conner.

Tune was full both times, and the Cardinals turned it over on downs. Regardless of the situation, that wasn’t a successful play for Arizona, and it certainly shouldn’t have been the call for back-to-back downs.

Tune, while certainly bigger than Murray, is nowhere near the weapon he should be on the field. If the Cardinals want hard-hitting short-yardage runs, that’s what Conner is for. If they want creativity, keep Murray in the game. It was a no-brainer and the stalled ride was completely avoidable.

That said, Petzing played a solid second half and provided some nice scoring drives that ultimately meant the difference in this match. Credit where credit is due.