Chad Ryland as time expired. Hart was penalized for a hit along the sidelines on an incomplete third-down pass.

Arizona QB Kyler Murray had exploited the Chargers’ overzealous pass rush, turning a simple scramble play into a 44-yard sprint to the end zone, propelling the Cardinals back into the lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. Murray easily outran first Khalil Mack and then Junior Colson.

Once he jetted past Colson, there was only green grass ahead.

Considering the Chargers’ second-half scoring troubles, it seemed Arizona’s 14-9 lead might be safe. After all, the Chargers hadn’t scored a second-half touchdown since scoring two TDs in the fourth quarter of their season-opening, 22-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders back on Sept. 8.

The Chargers were outscored 16-3 in the second half of their 23-16 win last week over the Denver Broncos. To be fair, they built a 23-0 lead going into the fourth quarter against the Broncos and their offense downshifted into more of a ball-control mode for the final quarter.

“It’s a razor-thin margin in this league,” said Herbert, who completed 27 of 39 passes for a season-high 349 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. “We’re a couple of plays away from putting up a lot of points.”

The first half Monday promised so much for the Chargers, but it delivered only a pair of long-distance field goals from Dicker, and they trailed 7-6 at halftime. Dicker set a career-best and also tied a franchise record with a 59-yard field goal, and he also hit from 50 yards on the final play of the half.

“I’m very happy with the way I hit,” Dicker said. “Did what I could but at the end of the day, a loss is a loss. It’s fun for me to continue this, but it’s always a bummer to lose like this.”

Other than Dicker’s kicking, the opening minutes were a case of the what-ifs for the Chargers.

As in, what if Chargers defensive lineman Teair Tart hadn’t fumbled after intercepting a pass from Murray that ticked off the hands of Chargers outside linebacker Mack and ricocheted to him? The Chargers would have had the ball deep in Arizona territory early in the first quarter.

As in, what if Chargers wide receiver Jalen Reagor hadn’t fumbled the ball into the end zone after a 42-yard pass play from Justin Herbert? The Chargers would have had the ball at the Cardinals’ 2-yard line with a chance to take a first-quarter lead, but instead came up empty on a promising drive.

As in, what if the Chargers had been able to tackle Arizona running back James Conner and prevent him from reeling off big gain after big gain during the Cardinals’ only productive possession of the half? Instead, the Cardinals took a 7-3 lead on Murray’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Greg Dortch.

“I thought we moved the ball effectively in the air, but I kept waiting for our running game to pop, and it never did,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said. ‘”It’s not time to lighten up, but to tighten up. Credit to the Cardinals. Their back (Conner) had a great game, making us miss.”

The Chargers were only effective in a two-minute drill to end the half because of the strength of Dicker’s leg. He booted a 50-yard field goal to bring the Chargers within 7-6 as time expired. Dicker improved his long-distance accuracy to 4 for 5 from beyond 50 yards this season.

Dicker’s previous career high was 55 yards, set last season.

His previous best this season was 53 yards.

The Chargers took a 9-7 lead into the fourth quarter thanks to Dicker’s 28-yard field goal with 40 seconds remaining in the third. Again, the Chargers had a promising drive suddenly go haywire with a false start charged to rookie lineman Joe Alt and a sack after the pocket collapsed on Herbert.