Cowboys aim to bounce back from big loss against rested Chargers

DALLAS (3-2) at LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (2-2)

Monday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, ABC/ESPN

BETTING LINE: Cowboys by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsBook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Cowboys 3-2; Chargers 2-2.

SERIES RECORD: Cowboys lead 7-5.

LAST MEETING: Cowboys beat Chargers 20-17 on Sept. 19, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif.

LAST WEEK: Cowboys lost to 49ers 42-10; Chargers had bye, beat Raiders 24-17 on Oct. 1.

COWBOYS OFFENSE: OVERALL (17), RUSH (10), PASS (20), SCORING (8).

COWBOYS DEFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (21), PASS (2), SCORING (7).

CHARGERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (14), PASS (6), SCORING (7).

CHARGERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (31), RUSH (14), PASS (32), SCORING (24).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Cowboys plus-6 (T-3); Chargers plus-5 (T-5).

COWBOYS PLAYER TO WATCH: LB Micah Parsons might have to play more of a traditional role off the line of scrimmage with Leighton Vander Esch expected to be sidelined several weeks by a neck injury. The 2021 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year has gone consecutive games without a QB hit. Parsons has had just one three-game stretch without a QB hit, from early in his rookie season. Parsons had his first career sack at SoFi Stadium two years ago.

CHARGERS PLAYER TO WATCH: OLB Khalil Mack had a career-best showing by making six sacks and five tackles for loss versus Las Vegas. It was Mack’s second game with five or more sacks, joining Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas as only the second player to do so since sacks became an official stat in 1982. Mack has three sacks against the Cowboys' Dak Prescott in two meetings.

KEY MATCHUP: Chargers QB Justin Herbert vs. Cowboys secondary. Dallas has an active group of defensive backs — its seven interceptions is tied for third in the NFL — so Herbert will have to be careful with the ball. He’s done a good job of that through four games, with the pick he threw in the third quarter against the Raiders his lone blemish against seven touchdown throws. CB DaRon Bland has two pick-6s among his three interceptions, so Herbert might want to be extra judicious in going after the second-year Fresno State product responsible for eight takeaways in 22 games.

KEY INJURIES: Vander Esch and Cowboys special teams ace C.J. Goodwin both came out of the Niners loss with long-term injuries. Goodwin has a pectoral injury and could miss the rest of the season. … KaVontae Turpin, who made the team by returning a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns in a preseason game at the Chargers in 2022, sprained an ankle against the Niners and probably won’t play. … S Donovan Wilson is dealing with a right leg injury. He missed the entire preseason and the first two games after straining a calf early in training camp. … Herbert is good to go despite fracturing the middle finger on his non-throwing hand against the Raiders when he caught it in a defender's helmet. ... Chargers RB Austin Ekeler is confident he will play after missing the past three games because of an ankle injury. … The early bye week should make it possible for several other key players to return on Monday, including S Derwin James Jr. (hamstring) and Alohi Gilman (heel).

SERIES NOTES: This is one of the rarer matchups in NFL history as the Cowboys and Chargers played just once in the 1970s, a 34-28 win by Dallas in San Diego on Nov. 5, 1972. … The Cowboys won five of the first six games in the series, but the Chargers are 4-2 in the 21st Century. … The Chargers lost to the Cowboys in their first game at SoFi Stadium in front of a capacity crowd on Sept. 19, 2021. The 2020 season was played without fans because of pandemic restrictions.

STATS AND STUFF: The Cowboys are set for their 85th “Monday Night Football appearance.” Miami leads at 86. … Dallas was minus-3 in turnover margin against San Francisco, tying its worst since Dan Quinn took over as defensive coordinator in 2021. … The Cowboys are 9-1 coming off a loss since the start of 2021. It’s the highest winning percentage (.900) in the NFL in that span. … QB Dak Prescott has at least one touchdown pass against every NFL team except the Chargers. … Prescott tied his career high with three interceptions against the Niners. He had just one in the first four games after tying for the NFL lead with 15 last season despite missing five games with a broken thumb. Prescott has three sub-80 passer ratings in the first five weeks. He had more than four just once in his first seven seasons. … Prescott is fourth among QBs in third-down conversion rate, but against the Niners, Dallas was a season-worst 2 of 7 on manageable third downs (from 2 to 6 yards to go). … RB Tony Pollard had 109 yards on 13 carries (8.4-yard average) with a touchdown against the Chargers two years ago. … DE DeMarcus Lawrence has 10 sacks in six Monday night games. … S Jayron Kearse had his first sack of the season against the Niners, the only sack of Brock Purdy. He had one other tackle for loss, and his 18 TFLs since the start of 2021 are the most among NFL defensive backs. … K Brandon Aubrey is the first in Dallas franchise history to make the first 14 field goals of his career. He’s the seventh in NFL history to begin his career at least 14 of 14. … Buoyed by Mack’s big day, the Chargers’ 16 sacks through four games is their highest tally since 2006. … Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore played with Lawrence for two seasons in college at Boise State. Lawrence is in his 10th NFL season as a player, while Moore is in his fifth year as an OC. … Los Angeles is looking for its fourth straight win on "Monday Night Football." … Herbert (101) is one of nine QBs to throw at least 100 touchdowns in his first four NFL seasons. He needs 14 more scoring throws this season to pass Patrick Mahomes (114) in second, while Dan Marino’s record 142 touchdowns seems unlikely. … OLB Tuli Tuipulotu has a tackle for loss in each of his first four professional games. His four tackles for loss is tied with Eagles DT Jalen Carter for the lead among rookies. … It’s been a nearly flawless start to K Cameron Dicker’s second season. He is 6 for 7 on field goals, has made all 12 of his extra points, and 21 of his 22 kickoffs have resulted in a touchback.

FANTASY TIP: This should be a get-right game for Prescott after his poor outing at San Francisco. Throw out rookie Aidan O’Connell’s numbers in Week 4, and the Chargers have allowed an average of 359.7 passing yards per game with eight touchdowns to two interceptions.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl