GLENDALE, Ariz. — On Sunday night, during the Arizona Cardinals' team meeting ahead of Monday night's game against the Los Angeles Chargers, running back James Conner got up in front of his teammates and coaches and began to talk about maximizing the opportunity that awaited them.
It worked. Behind Conner's 152 all-purpose yards, the Cardinals rebounded from an embarrassing 21-point loss a week ago in Green Bay with a 17-15 win over the Chargers on «Monday Night Football» thanks to a last-second 32-yard field goal by kicker Chad Ryland. «I thought he was lights out,» coach Jonathan Gannon said of Conner. «There were a lot of times he is getting 4 yards and it should be probably 1 or 2. »He put the team on his back today and carried us home." Conner's hope was to inspire a team in flux that was at a breaking point.
A loss would've dropped the Cardinals to 2-5, but a win brought them to 3-4 and put them in a tie for second in the NFC West.
He conveyed to his teammates that being 2-4, as they were heading into the game, was just a moment in time, Gannon explained.