Chargers-Cowboys matchups: How to watch, matchups, prediction

Breaking down how the Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys match up heading into their Monday Night Football game beginning 5:15 p.m. at SoFi Stadium. The game will be shown on ESPN, and locally on ABC.

Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has Justin Herbert (10) on his side when he faces his old team, the Dallas Cowboys.

(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

Justin Herbert is coming off a victory over Las Vegas but also a performance that saw him set single-game career lows in attempts (24), completions (13) and passing yards (167). The Chargers beat the Raiders 24-17 despite not scoring on their final seven possessions, one that closed out the first half with a kneel down and another that finished the game with three kneel downs. Herbert and the Chargers will be looking for a rebound in production as offensive coordinator Kellen Moore matches up against his former team. He was the Cowboys’ OC for the last four seasons before coach Mike McCarthy decided to take over play-calling responsibilities. In March, after parting ways, McCarthy said Moore “wants to light the scoreboard up� in explaining that, as the head coach, he was more interested in running the ball with success and allowing the defense time to rest. He talked about Dallas being a more complete, balanced team with Moore no longer in charge of the offense. In this game, there’s little doubt Moore would love to blind all of SoFi Stadium with the glare coming off the scoreboard lights. But the Cowboys have permitted the second-fewest passing yards in the league playing against the likes of quarterbacks Daniel Jones, Zach Wilson and Mac Jones.

The Chargers defense has allowed many passing yards to star receivers and face another Monday in the Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb.

(Scot Tucker / Associated Press)

In its second consecutive prime-time game, Dallas will be trying to repair its suddenly sagging stature nationally. The Cowboys were hammered last weekend 42-10 at San Francisco on a night when they produced just eight first downs and turned over the ball four times. Quarterback Dak Prescott matched his career worst with three interceptions and then heard his No. 1 wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb, publicly question the offense’s identity. Given their performance to date, the Chargers offer Prescott and Lamb an opportunity to quickly rediscover what was missing against the 49ers. The Chargers still rank last in the NFL in per-game passing yards allowed and have yielded 100-yard receiving days to Miami’s Tyreek Hill and Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson. Lamb, a two-time Pro Bowler, is looking for his second 100-yard game of the season. The Chargers have been especially vulnerable to big pass plays but Dallas generated only four passes that gained as many as 10 yards against San Francisco. Edge rusher Khalil Mack set a career high and a Chargers franchise record with six sacks in the victory over Las Vegas, giving Prescott something to consider coming off consecutive games in which he was sacked three times apiece.

Over the last two seasons, only one kicker — Buffalo’s Tyler Bass — has made more field goals in the final 10 seconds of regulation than the Chargers’ Cameron Dicker, who has converted three. In his first NFL season, Dallas’ Brandon Aubrey has yet to miss a field goal attempt, going 14 of 14 with a long of 55 yards. He is 10 of 11 on extra-point attempts.

NFL teams — at least good NFL teams — tend to bounce back well from bad games, which is what Dallas is trying to do. The Cowboys are supposed to be good but then, so too are the Chargers. Difficult to envision this one being anything but close, entertaining and decided late. COWBOYS 27, CHARGERS 23

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The Chargers are expecting the Dallas Cowboys to be more ornery than usual coming off an “embarrassing� blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Oct. 14, 2023