Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Dennis Gardeck was lost for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee during Monday night’s 17-15 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Gardeck was injured in the third quarter during an Arizona punt return. He immediately grabbed at his knee.

“It’s a part of the game, but it’s tough to swallow at times,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said Tuesday. “Obviously we know what he puts into the game and to his craft at being a pro and the teammate that he is. That’s going to hurt.”

Gardeck, 30, is in his seventh NFL season, all with the Cardinals. He leads Arizona with three sacks this season and also has 20 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble.

It marks the second time Gardeck has torn the ACL in his right knee. The other occasion was in Week 15 of the 2020 campaign. He had a career-high seven sacks that season.

Gardeck is the fifth defensive starter to go on injured reserve. Arizona also has lost defensive linemen Bilal Nichols (done for the season due to multiple stingers), Darius Robinson (calf) and Justin Jones (season-ending triceps) and outside linebackers BJ Ojulari (season-ending knee injury) and Gardeck. Robinson is close to a return.

“It really doesn’t matter if it’s one or however many guys,” Gannon said. “Anybody that’s on your team, you feel terrible for, but it’s tough.”

The Cardinals (3-4) visit the Miami Dolphins (3-4) on Sunday.