RB James Conner’s message to the Cardinals was received in the MNF win

GLENDALE, Ariz. – On Sunday night, during the Arizona Cardinals’ team meeting before Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, running back James Conner stood in front of his teammates and coaches and began talking about how to maximize the opportunity awaiting them.

It worked.

Behind Conner’s 152 all-purpose yards, the Cardinals avenged an embarrassing 21-point loss a week ago in Green Bay with a 17-15 victory over the Chargers on Monday Night Football thanks to a 32-yard field goal from kicker Chad at the last second Ryland.

“I thought he was completely out of action,” coach Jonathan Gannon said of Conner. “There were a lot of times he would get four yards, and it probably should have been one or two.”

“He carried the team on his back today and carried us home.”

Conner’s hope was to inspire a team in transition that was at a breaking point. A loss would have dropped the Cardinals to 2-5, but a win would have moved them to 3-4 and left them in a tie for second place in the NFC West. Gannon explained that he conveyed to his teammates that the score of 2:4 at the start of the game was just a moment in time.

His message Sunday night was simple but powerful.

“I’m just telling them to put all their chips on this week, that we’re still on a mission to tell the guys not to take anything for granted and just play good football,” Conner said. “Put it all in this week, give it everything you have.

“We have some guys on the team who are out for the season wishing they could be out there and just play hard. So, yeah, I just told them to play hard and give it their all just to get a win this week.”

That’s what Arizona did. Conner ran for 101 yards on Monday, his third 100-yard game of the season, and caught two passes for 51 yards, including a 33-yard gain in the fourth quarter that set up the game-winning field goal.

His 152 scrimmage yards and 7.2 yards per touch average were both season highs. Conner became the first player to eclipse 100 yards against the Chargers. He also forced a fumble after quarterback Kyler Murray threw an early interception to Chargers defensive back Teair Tart. Michael Wilson recovered and Arizona kept the ball on a series of new downs.