The Cardinals are preparing for their first primetime game in nearly two years

TEMPE – FFor the first time in nearly two years, the Arizona Cardinals will play in a prime-time game.

The Monday Night Football match against the Los Angeles Chargers is the Cardinals’ first primetime game since their Christmas loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football in 2022.

Last season, the Cardinals were one of four teams not featured in a primetime game.

The last time the Cardinals played on Monday Night Football was when quarterback Kyler Murray went down with a torn ACL in his right knee after just three games.

“I mean, it’s Monday night (football), it’s prime time, everyone’s watching, only a few people are watching,” Murray said. “For me it’s just like another game. I don’t really care much about Monday night, Sunday night, Thursday night. Of course you feel it, it’s cool, but at the end of the day it didn’t matter if you didn’t go out and play well.

“For me it’s just about going out there, playing well and performing. Of course you want to play at a high level in prime time, but at the end of the day it’s about keeping the main thing at the forefront and focusing on the game itself and not what surrounds it.”

Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon downplayed the idea of ​​playing in prime time.

Gannon simply said, “It’s just a game,” when asked how he would encourage players in their primetime debut not to make it more than what it is.

One player making his primetime debut is Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson.

“Monday night, first primetime game, so I’m excited,” Wilson said. “It’s a great opportunity. Of course all games are important, but to be one of the few games going on right now, everything is magnified, so it will be exciting.”

Wilson said he has many memories of watching primetime games as a child.

“Sunday night’s games were huge,” Wilson said. “I feel like players that I really liked always performed big in those games. So you know the cliché that says, ‘Great players make great plays in big games.’ I’m hoping I can put my stamp on my first game on Monday night.”

While many Cardinals will play their first primetime game on Monday, Cardinals wide receiver Zay Jones, an eighth-year veteran now with his fourth franchise, has plenty of experience in primetime games.

“Monday Night (football) is a blessing,” Jones said. “The world is watching. This is what you dream about as a child. Personally, I’m grateful to have had some incredible experiences at the prime time Monday night games. Hopefully this carries over to transitions. We still have to line up and go play.

“I think it’s a great opportunity that this team has on the national stage against a well-coached and good football team, so I’m excited about it.”

The Cardinals are ready to defend the run

The Chargers (3-2) come to State Farm Stadium after a win over the Broncos in Denver.

The battle against the strong Chargers will present a unique challenge for the Cardinals.

Only the Baltimore Ravens (53.18%) and Pittsburgh Steelers (52.93%) run the ball more often than the Chargers (52.40%).

“Their backs and their (offensive) linemen work great together,” Cardinals safety Budda Baker said.

“They do a great job of helping the offensive line understand where the defensive line is, and the running backs do a great job of hitting the holes. “You cut guys, not guys who want to dance around. They just run downhill and you have to hit them.”

“I have a really high opinion of (Chargers offensive coordinator) Greg (Roman),” Gannon said. “He handles the running game well, giving you a different look and then looking like a pass. They somehow complement each other. With some of their actions they buy your eyes and gain influence over people through their route distribution. He was always able to throw the ball down the field so we were able to do a good job (defense) on both the run and the pass.”

One of the reasons the Chargers are running the ball so much this season is the severe ankle sprain suffered by quarterback Justin Herbert in a Week 2 win against the Carolina Panthers. Herbert then aggravated the injury again in a loss at Pittsburgh the following week.

But the Chargers are starting to throw the ball more often as Herbert gets healthy. Over the last three weeks, the Chargers have thrown the ball 52.6% of the time, compared to their season average of 47.6%.

In last week’s win, Herbert rushed for a season-high 237 yards.

“But when it comes to Herbert’s arm,” Baker said. “He can throw anywhere. Just the inclusion of the zipper that the ball comes out with is definitely something special. He’s a great quarterback. He does his readings. He doesn’t hold the ball for long. He understands the route concepts his offense follows.

“At the end of the day, if those aren’t there, he’s going to do the checkdown, and that checkdown is going to be five yards or more.”

“I’ve played this guy several times, he can throw anything all over the court,” Gannon said of Herbert. “He’s a quality player, so we need to be involved on both the back end and the front end. Up front we have to influence the quarterback.”

The Cardinals take on the Chargers on Monday at 6:00 p.m. MST. Catch all the action on the Arizona Sports App, 98.7 and ArizonaSports.com

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