Gameday: Chargers vs Cardinals

NFL.com: Chargers at Cardinals | Your Take | Lineup Changes

Nate Kaeding kicked a 37-yard field goal with two seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Chargers a 33-31 win over the Arizona Cardinals in their first-ever visit to University of Phoenix Stadium…a capacity crowd of 64,216 turned out for one of the NFL’s most exciting games of the preseason as the teams combined for 64 points and 881 yards of total offense…the Chargers racked up 506 yards, including 405 through the air, and dominated in first downs (26 to 16) and time of possession (37:55 to 22:05)…Philip Rivers passed for 282 yards and helped give the Chargers a 24-7 lead before departing midway through the third quarter…he led the offense on three touchdown drives, including two that ended with TD passes to Vincent Jackson…Darren Sproles scored on a 19-yard run and Kaeding hit a total of four field goals on the night…Billy Volek, who relieved Rivers in the third quarter, led the winning field goal drive in the final minute of the game…the biggest play of the drive being a 23-yard pass to Kassim Osgood down to the Arizona 19-yard line that set up the game-winning kick.

THE HOT LIST

Philip Rivers earns top billing on this week’s hot list for a 282-yard and two touchdown passing performance in the Chargers’ 33-31 win at Arizona on Saturday night...Rivers played the entire first half and the opening drive of the third quarter, leaving the game after throwing his second touchdown pass of the night to Vincent Jackson to give the Chargers a 24-17 lead...Rivers, who completed 20 of 29 with no interceptions, threw TD passes of 6 and 33 yards to Jackson...Rivers and backup QB Billy Volek combined to throw for 405 yards against the Cardinals defense.

Vincent Jackson makes the “Hot List” for his two-touchdown performance against Arizona, scoring on catches of 33 and 6 yards...he caught a 5-yard TD pass last week against St. Louis giving him three touchdowns in the last two games...in preseason action, Jackson has averaged 16.0 yards per catch with 8 for 128 yards and a team-leading three touchdowns.

Nate Kaeding’s 4-for-4 field goal performance, including the 37-yard game winner, landed him a spot on this week’s “Hot List”...Kaeding connected from 33.25, 21 and 37 yards against the Cardinals...his game winner sailed through the uprights with just two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter...Kaeding is a perfect 8-of-8 this preseason, including a 50-yarder Week 1 vs. Seattle.

Luis Castillo made the “Hot List” for one big play against Arizona...being the third preseason game, Head Coach Norv Turner wanted his starters to play the entire first half and the opening series of the third quarter...Castillo helped get the defense off the field as quickly as he could in the third quarter, sacking QB Kurt Warner on the first play, and also stripping him of the ball and recovering it himself to end the first-team defense’s night.

Mike Scifres had a “Hot List” night in hot Arizona...only called upon to punt twice, Scifres made the most of his opportunities...his first punt covered 40 yards before rolling out of bounds at the 2 on a perfectly placed punt, and his second was fair caught at the 7...Scifres has punted seven times this preseason with four of the seven landing inside the 20 with no touchbacks.

Quick Take: Kaeding's kick lifts Bolts over Cards

It was over when... Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding kicked a 37-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in the game to give the Chargers a 33-31 lead.After Shane Boyd threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Matt Trannon to put the Cardinals ahead 31-30, San Diego quarterback Billy Volek led the Chargers down the field on a 41-yard, one minute drive to set up Kaeding's game-winning kick.

Game balls

Don't tell these guys it's only the preseason. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers played three quarters, going 20-of-29 for 282 yards and two touchdowns...For the Cardinals, wide receiver Anaquan Boldin saw a lot of action, recording five catches for 143 yards and a touchdown.

Key stat

Time of posession. The Chargers controlled the tempo on offense, dominating the Cardinals 37:55 to 22:05 in time of posession.

Noteworthy

Both the Cardinals and the Chargers combined for six turnovers with both teams fumbling away the ball three times. Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner went 6-for-7 before fumbling on a sack by Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo.

Pre-game notes

The San Diego Chargers will play their third-straight nationally televised game on Saturday night, Aug. 25 when they face the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. It’s the Chargers’ first-ever visit to the two-year-old stadium.

The NFL Network will carry the game live outside Southern California, while viewers in San Diego and Los Angeles/Orange County can tune in to KFMB, Channel 8, and KCBS, Channel 2, respectively. Ron Pitts will call the game and former Chargers linebacker Billy Ray Smith will provide the color commentary. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. PDT.

The reigning AFC West Champion Chargers return 19 starters, including all 11 on offense. The new faces on defense include inside linebackers Stephen Cooper and Matt Wilhelm, and strong safety Clinton Hart. In last Saturday’s game at St. Louis, Cooper led the team with 10 first-half tackles and Hart made the highlight reels with an over-the-shoulder interception in the end zone off Marc Bulger. Wilhelm (calf) has missed the first two games.

The most significant change to the Bolts’ roster is on the sideline where Norv Turner takes over as the 14th head coach in team history. Turner inherits a team that won two of the last three AFC West titles and a franchise-record 14 games in 2006. Last season’s outfit was an aggressive offensive juggernaut that shattered team records for scoring and rushing yards in a season. Turner returns to run the same offense that he implemented as San Diego’s offensive coordinator in 2001.

His offense will center around the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, running back LaDainian Tomlinson. A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Tomlinson turned the NFL on its ear in 2006, scoring a League-record 31 touchdowns and capturing his first-ever rushing title with 1,815 yards. Tomlinson and quarterback Philip Rivers will line up behind an offensive line that returns all five starters, plus three-time Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates, the Bolts leading receiver in ’06 with 71 catches, 924 yards and nine scores. Tomlinson is not expected to see action this preseason. His last preseason playing time came in 2005 against St. Louis when he scored on a 55-yard touchdown run on his only carry.

On defense, Turner has turned over the keys to veteran defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell. He’ll operate virtually the same 3-4 defense that the Chargers have run since 2004. Cottrell’s defense is anchored by a pair of two-time Pro Bowlers, nose tackle Jamal Williams and linebacker Shawne Merriman, who had 17 sacks to win the NFL’s sack title in 2006.

CHARGERS-CARDINALS HISTORY

The Chargers and Cardinals have played 16 times in the preseason. The Bolts have won seven and the Cards have won nine. The Chargers will be making their first-ever trip on Saturday to the Cardinals’ new home, University of Phoenix Stadium, which opened in 2006. The Bolts and Cards haven’t met in a preseason game since 2004, a game the Chargers won, 38-13, at Sun Devil Stadium.

The regular-season series has been contested 11 times and the Chargers hold an 8-3 series edge. They played in the 2006 season finale in San Diego and the Chargers prevailed, 27-20, giving the ’06 outfit its franchise-record 14th win of the season. The Chargers’ last regular-season game in Arizona was back in 2002. It resulted in a 23-15 win for the Bolts. The Chargers are 3-1 in regular season games played in Arizona.

CHARGERS-CARDINALS CONNECTIONS

• Chargers defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell was an assistant with the Cardinals from 1990-94…Chargers secondary coach Bill Bradley concluded his playing career with the Cardinals in 1977…Cardinals Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Russ Grimm coached under Chargers Head Coach Norv Turner with the Washington Redskins…Cardinals defensive line coach Ron Aiken coached San Diego State linebackers in 1998 and coached at Iowa when Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding, defensive end Derreck Robinson, tight end Scott Chandler and safety Miguel Merrick played for the Hawkeyes…Cardinals running backs coach Maurice Carthon was Lorenzo Neal’s position coach with the New York Jets in 1997…Cardinals scout Lonnie Young was a member of the Chargers’ 1994 AFC Championship squad…wide receiver Todd Watkins hails from San Diego and played at Helix High School.
• Chargers tight end Brandon Manumaleuna played at the University of Arizona… Manumaleuna and Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner were teammates with the St. Louis Rams…Chargers quarterbacks coach John Ramsdell held the same position in St. Louis when Warner played for the Rams. 
• Cardinals safety Hanik Milligan spent three seasons with the Chargers (2003-05)...offensive tackle Brandon Gorin was drafted by the Chargers in 2001 and spent his rookie season in San Diego.
• The following players were college teammates: Chargers offensive tackle Marcus McNeill and Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby at Auburn …Chargers safety Bhawoh Jue with Cardinals wide receiver Bryant Johnson and cornerback David Macklin at Penn State…Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson at NC State…Chargers guard Erik Robertson and Cardinals running back J.J. Arrington at Cal…Chargers cornerback Paul Oliver and safety Tra Battle with Cardinals tight end Leonard Pope at Georgia…Chargers cornerback Steve Gregory and Cardinals tight end Alex Shor at Syracuse…Chargers defensive tackle Brandon McKinney and Cardinals wide receiver Matt Trannon at Michigan State.