Chargers vs. Cardinals: Time, Channel & Line

In his first game back from major knee surgery, Carson Palmer looked extremely sharp. (Getty)

In his first game back from major knee surgery, Carson Palmer looked extremely sharp. (Getty)

After solid showings to begin preseason play, the Arizona Cardinals and San Diego Chargers look to keep that momentum going on Saturday night.

Although the Cardinals ultimately fell to the Kansas City Chiefs, 34-19, the starters looked solid. Carson Palmer completed all four of his passes for 78 yards, Tyrann Mathieu intercepted Alex Smith and the defense had its way with Kansas City’s offensive line.

The Chargers, meanwhile, were far from perfect against a Dallas Cowboys squad playing without many of its starters, but there were plenty of encouraging performances on both sides of the ball in the 17-7 victory.

Here’s a look at everything you need to know for this battle between AFC and NFC west adversaries:

Date: Saturday, August 22, 2015

Time: 10 p.m. ET

Location: U of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ

TV Channel: NFL Network, KFMB in San Diego, KNXV in Phoenix. Click here for full list of affiliates

Live Stream: NFL.com

Odds: Arizona (-1), Over/Under 38.5, via OddsShark.com


Chargers Player to Watch: Melvin Gordon

(Getty)

(Getty)

It was hardly a debut to remember for the Chargers rookie running back, who carried the ball six times for just 11 yards last week against the Dallas Cowboys. To make matters worse, the heralded rookie out of Wisconsin watched from the sidelines as Danny Woodhead took his only touch of the game eight yards into the end zone.

“I definitely have a lot of work to do,” said Gordon after the game. “It definitely wasn’t what I expected at all, but we have some more preseason games before the regular season to fine tune myself.”

It’s extremely important not to put too much stock into preseason performances. Gordon was one of the most productive running backs in college football history last season, and the first nine snaps of his career aren’t going to suddenly erase the fact he has game-changing talent.

That said, the Chargers made an increasingly rare first-round investement on a running back, and they would certainly like to see some improvement in Week 2, especially when it comes to Gordon’s pass protection and decisiveness hitting the running lanes.


Cardinals Player to Watch: Chris Johnson

(Getty)

(Getty)

One of the Cardinals’ biggest concerns during training camp has been the lack of depth at running back. Andre Ellington is an electric player, but he had trouble staying healthy last year and doesn’t look like a three-down player. After him, enticing rookie David Johnson is behind schedule after missing a couple weeks with a hamstring injury, and no one else on the roster has really stood out.

As such, Arizona went out and signed veteran Chris Johnson. He may no longer be the same player who reached 2,000 rushing yards in 2009, and his production has dipped the last couple of years, but it will still be intriguing to see if he can regain some of that explosiveness in a limited role.

It’s unclear how many, if any, snaps Johnson will get this week. But he is already practicing, and the Cardinals need to quickly get an idea of what kind of shape he is in.

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