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The Los Angeles Chargers welcomed the Arizona Cardinals to town in Week 1 and hit the halftime tunnel losing, 13-7.
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On the way to the closer-than-expected score, some big things stuck out as Mike McDaniel’s offense got off to a so-so start and the Chris O’Leary-coordinated defense clearly had some growing pains.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest notes from the game’s early goings.
Cardinals vs. Chargers notes
Chargers’ platoon at guard
Jim Harbaugh wasn’t bluffing.
Justin Herbert’s offense trotted out for its third drive with Trey Pipkins at left guard, not Kayode Awosika. No sign of an injury there. Harbaugh had mentioned Awosika as the starter, but clarified that a platoon was on the table.
Why? Hard to say,. But to that point, Herbert had thrown for just 118 yards and the ground game averaged 3.6 yards per chance. Not ideal.
Oronde Gadsden benching update
The depth chart isn’t lying.
Formerly hyped draft pick Oronde Gadsden didn’t get on the field until the third series. The tight end pecking order indeed threw out David Njoku and Charlie Kolar well in front of him.
Funny thing, though: Gadsden got on the field and caught one pass for 26 yards pretty much right away.
If Gadsden keeps doing that, he’ll get out of the dog house in no time.
Jamaree Caldwell injury
Chargers defensive lineman Jamaree Caldwell suffered an injury during the first half. He wound up leaving the field with trainers and, after meeting with them for a while, appeared to be back on the sideline like normal.
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The Chargers can’t exactly afford injuries there, as Caldwell only has Nick Barrett behind him. The line technically only has five overall players on the 53 right now.
So much for avoiding upset watch
We wrote all week about this being a trap game and the Chargers haven’t done much to fight back against the idea. It’s deja-vu inducing. Jacoby Brissett, of all quarterbacks, shouldn’t have more passing yards than Herbert. A rookie Jeremiyah Love shouldn’t be leading the game in rushing and Kendrick Bourne shouldn’t be one of three Cardinals targets averaging better than 10 yards per catch.
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Today’s best reads
- Final Chargers Game-By-Game Predictions Before the Start of the Regular Season
- A New Offensive Era, 4 Other Things to Know About Chargers vs. Cardinals
- Predicting Chargers Starters vs Cardinals for NFL Week 1: Injuries, Matchup Shakeups
- How Experts Pick Cardinals vs. Chargers Week 1, What it Means for LA
- Chargers Week 1 Mailbag: Position Group Concerns, Challenging Defenses, Contributors
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/chargers/onsi as Cardinals vs. Chargers Notes Include Injuries, Benchings, Rotations and More.
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