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James Conner rallies Cardinals for Monday Night Football win over Chargers

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GLENDALE — Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner set the tempo for Monday’s 17-15 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, both on the field and off it.

On the first possession of the game, Chargers defensive lineman Teair Tart intercepted Kyler Murray, but Conner chased him down and punched the ball away. Wide receiver Michael Wilson followed the ball and pounced. The Cardinals ended up needing to punt, but the play avoided giving the Chargers excellent position to score in what became a physical, defensive battle all night.

Effort and energy plays, as Conner put it, won Arizona the game. Cornerback Starling Thomas V followed suit with a forced fumble through the end zone on L.A.’s ensuing possession.

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Before the lights turned on for Monday Night Football, Conner addressed the team on Sunday, feeling the time called for it.

The Cardinals entered Monday 2-4 coming off a blowout loss to Green Bay, but with a win they could return to the thick of the NFC playoff picture.

“Just telling them push all their chips in for this week,” Conner said. “We still on a mission. Just tell the guys don’t take nothing for granted. Just play good football. … We got some guys on the team who are out for the season, who wish they could be out there. Just told them to play hard and push all their chips in and get a victory for this week.

“As a captain on this team, that’s the job description: rally the troops.”

His message was met positively in the room of which he commands so much respect from his football and life experiences. The Cardinals had an intense week of practice coming off the Packers loss, which head coach Jonathan Gannon likened to the energy of OTAs with some chippiness mixed in.

There was frustration to manage, and after a competitive week on the grass, hearing from the captain meant a great deal.

“I just think anytime a guy that doesn’t say too much gets up there and speaks, it means something,” Murray said. “Not a lot of volume, but the substance behind it and what he’s preaching — and anybody for that matter — when you get up there and you pour your heart out, guys feel it.”

“I feel like it touched everybody in the room,” linebacker Kyzir White added. “It translated out here on the field.”

Conner backed up the talk. He ran for 101 yards and gained 51 receiving yards, bouncing back after 24 rushing yards on seven attempts at the Packers.

On the final possession of the game, Conner gained 33 yards on a check down after breaking multiple tackles, then another 11 over his next two carries to set up a game-winning 32-yard field goal by Chad Ryland.

The Chargers struggled mightily to get Conner down, as he forced eight missed tackles to raise his season total to 48, second in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats.

“I mean, there’s a lot of times he’s getting four yards and it should be probably one or two,” Gannon said. “Obviously, some explosives he had. The way he was running the football forced them out of shell, which no one’s really been able to do on tape, at least. … He put the team on his back today.”

The Cardinals needed Conner to move the ball, as the Chargers forced a Cardinals offense already struggling to push it downfield to play underneath. Cardinals wide receivers accounted for five catches.

While it wasn’t a perfect day on any either side of the ball, Conner and the Cardinals made enough gritty, winning plays to come out on top. The defense held the Chargers to five field goals, while special teams downed a Blake Gillikin punt at the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter.

Conner had a hiccup in the second quarter when Chargers cornerback Cam Hart punched the ball loose, but tight end Trey McBride was there to dive on the football. Arizona scored its first touchdown on that possession.

Paired with a much cleaner effort than a week ago, Arizona put itself in position to make some noise nearing the halfway mark. Conner’s leadership behind the scenes and by example on the field both had something to do with it.