Takeaways from an all-time Chargers’ rout vs. the Arizona Cardinals

The Los Angeles Chargers got back in the win column vs. Arizona in a big way before their primetime battle against the Steelers in Pittsburgh next week.

The Chargers lost a heartbreaker vs. Denver last week when they left too much time on the clock instead of taking the sack on fourth down, which led to a Case Keenum-led game-winning drive. The team was clearly mad enough from that performance to dominate this one against the Cardinals. Let’s get to the takeaways.

1. Rivers goes off

Clearly frustrated after the fourth-down debacle last week, Philip Rivers brought himself back to form quickly. He set the record for single-game completions consecutively and was 25-for-25 after a touchdown to Keenan Allen.

Now you may say, “well, he did it against the Cardinals.” To which I would respond, the Cardinals entering yesterday were the fourth-ranked pass defense in the league. Part of that is that a lot of teams run against the Cardinals’ weaker run D. But the Cardinals’ pass D isn’t bad.

And Rivers ate them for lunch, with help from Allen, Mike Williams and the whole crew. What Rivers just did was truly historic. A game like that had never been had before in NFL history. And the efficiency of it may not be replicated again.

2. Bosa’s Back

Joey Bosa really returned to form this week, getting two sacks and five tackles. On certain plays, the Chargers lined him and Melvin Ingram up on the same side, which has to be a horrifying thought for offensive lines.

The Chargers did a decent enough job getting pressure on the offense in the run game and quarterback without Bosa, but this takes it to a new level for the back half of the season.

The Chargers did have some holes in the middle with Brandon Mebane out for the game as well as Corey Liuget out for the season, so having some great guys on the edge to balance out the losses there on the overall line is terrific.