After a stretch a tough games, the Arizona Cardinals will enjoy a much-needed bye week. The Cardinals are 3-7-1 on the year but have looked like a completely different team from last year where they finished a disappointing 3-13.
The Cardinals head into the bye coming off of a competitive but heartbreaking loss to their NFC West division rivals in the San Francisco 49ers who are tied for the best record in the league at 9-1.
Although the Cards will head into the bye week with a loss, there is a sense of encouragement and positive vibes around the team. Quarterback Kyler Murray has taken the NFL by storm and has provided the team with a sense of swagger and leadership.
While the short-term relief of the bye week is a welcome sight, there are still some questions that the Cardinals will need to answer. Here are three burning questions that the Cardinals will need to address during the bye week:
1. Figuring out the third wide receiver spot
The Arizona Cardinals offense has basically done a complete turnaround from last season.
Last year, the Cardinals offense ranked at the bottom of nearly every offensive category. This year, the Cardinals find themselves ranked at No. 16 in the league in scoring with 22.5 points per game.
Part of the reason for the increased success of the Cardinals’ offense comes from a receiving core that has made positive strides due to improved quarterback play. Larry Fitzgerald is enjoying another solid year in his 16th season in the NFL as he sits at No. 33 in receiving yards with 593 on 55 receptions. His 55 receptions are good for No. 15 in the NFL. Second-year receiver Christian Kirk has taken a giant step forward with 508 receiving yards in only eight games played due to an ankle injury.
However, the question is that who could take over as the third receiver and add extra depth to the passing game. The Cardinals have not been able to find consistent production and snaps from the slot receiver spot.
Rookie Andy Isabella was thought to be the receiver that could take over at the third spot, however, he has only played 13.6 percent of the team’s snaps and it doesn’t seem that coach Kliff Kingsbury has any immediate plans of increasing his playing time even after recent production.
KeeSean Johnson has the most snaps at the third receiver spot coming in at 50.8 percent, however, the production hasn’t been there. Johnson only has 21 receptions on 187 yards and no touchdowns. Isabella only has seven catches but still has 180 yards currently on the season with a limited amount of snaps.
Damiere Byrd has only two receptions for seven yards on a 42.8 percent snap share, Pharaoh Cooper is more of a return specialist and Trent Sherfield hasn’t fared much better on 34.2 percent of snaps.
Quarterback Kyler Murray has shown that he can effectively throw the football. Finding that dynamic third receiver adds an entirely new dimension to the passing attack.
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