Category: Cardinals

Cardinals clock Chargers on field goal as time expires

Cardinals edge Chargers on last-second field goal

For those of you without ESPN+, here is all you need to know: The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Chargers, 17-15, on Monday night.

The game came down to the final play when Chad Ryland kicked a 32-yard field goal to give the Cardinals a 17-15 win.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled TV viewing.

Kyler Murray looks for Charger defenders on 44-yard touchdown run

Kyler Murray could not believe his 44-yard TD run was that easy

Kyler Murray broke out of the pocket in the fourth quarter of Monday’s game between his Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Chargers.

The quarterback made it to the sideline took off for the end zone.

He looked as surprised as anyone when he headed for paydirt.

There were no Bolts anywhere in the vicinity as Murray finished the 44-yard run.

After the PAT, the Cardinals led 14-9.

Cardinals stun 49ers after trailing by 13 points

Kyler Murray and the Cardinals rocked the 49ers

On any given Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals can overcome a 13-point deficit to defeat the San Francisco 49ers.

That’s what happened when Chad Ryland, elevated to kicker due to a knee injury to Matt Prater, kicked his third field goal with 1:37 left to give the Cardinals a 24-23 victory.

The NFC West standings are stunning with the Cardinals and 49ers each at 2-3.

Arizona trailed 23-10 at halftime. It outscored the Niners 14-0 in the final 30 minutes of the NFC West game.

Kyler Murray threw for 195 yards and rushed for 83.

Kyzir White sealed the victory with an interception of a Brock Purdy pass.

Kyler Murray hits Marvin Harrison Jr. for pair of touchdowns

Kyler Murray threw two early TD passes to Marvin Harrison Jr.

Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. weren’t on the same page in Week One.

They fixed that problem quickly on Sunday as the quarterback found his first-round pick for two touchdowns in the first quarter of the Arizona Cardinals’ NFC West game with the Los Angeles Rams.

The first TD went for 23 yards and made it 7-0 after the PAT. The second covered 60 yards and gave Arizona a 14-0 lead after 6:13.

DeeJay Dallas of Cardinals with first dynamic kickoff TD return

The Cardinals got the first dynamic kickoff return touchdown

The newfangled NFL kickoff rule saw its first TD return in the first week of the season.

The Arizona Cardinals’ DeeJay Dallas collected a Buffalo Bills dynamic kickoff at the four-yard line and was off and running.

Ninety-six  yards later, Dallas had a touchdown and after the PAT, the Cardinals were within 31-28 in an exciting game in Orchard Park.

2024 record prediction: Arizona Cardinals

We take a look at the Arizona Cardinals and see where they may end up at the end of the season.

Earlier this year I made a post going over how the Arizona Cardinals could be one of the sleeper teams heading into the 2024 season, and that will reflect in my record prediction. Second year coach Jonathan Gannon showed his players are ready to fight for him and that he has the defensive mind that got him hired in the first place. With Gannon’s second year defense installed and more talent being added to it via draft and free agency with the likes of Sean Murphy-Bunting, Justin Jones, and Darius Robinson, this unit should be firing on all cylinders and massively improve upon last seasons 25th place ranking.

Another massive reason for the Arizona rebound will be the healthy return of franchise quarterback Kyler Murray, who while dealing with recovering from an injury all last season, still showed all the flashes that made the Cardinals re-commit to him in the offseason. With rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. walking in day one as the teams’ top receiver, this offense should be massively improved with an instant legitimate big play threat on the outside. Tight end Trey McBride broke out last season and should only take even more steps forward with a solid connection with Murray and some pressure off his shoulders now with the arrival of Harrison Jr.

This Arizona team is going to field a dynamic offense and a gritty defense intent on keeping them in games. We have seen flashes from this coaching staff, this quarterback, and this defense, now it’s time for it to show up on the field in a big way next season as they chase a potential wildcard spot.

Final record prediction: 8-9

The Arizona Cardinals are a super sleeper team going into 2024

With a second-year head coach and a refreshed franchise quarterback, the Arizona Cardinals could shock the NFL world in 2024.

One wouldn’t be blamed for not thinking highly of a team that finished last season with a porous 4-13 record and a proven talent gap within the division. However, the Arizona Cardinals are a team that could prove to play spoiler for the 2024 NFL season, and may even be a surprise playoff team when things are all said and done.

While the talent pool in Arizona is not as deep as some of the juggernauts of their division, with the Rams and 49ers boasting two of the more dangerous rosters in the entire league, there was clearly a spark to this Jonathan Gannon led team last season that was without their franchise quarterback for the majority of it.

Yes we can call Kyler Murray what he is at this point in his career, and that is a franchise quarterback. Injuries and mixed play have certainly damaged his reputation with the general public, but when Murray is at the top of his game he is a superstar and he showed as much during the final stretch of last season as he was coming back from injury.

In the final three games of the season Murray compiled six touchdowns to just one turnover and had Arizona averaging 23 points a game over that stretch. Murray has been able to adapt to the new look Drew Petzing offense, which was a massive change of direction compared to the equivalent of offensive food poisoning that was the Kliff Kingsbury offense he previously played under. With Petzing clearly prioritizing the run to set up Murray’s play by play explosion, this offense looked like it was humming better than it had all year once Murray started to come into himself late into the season.

This offseason has been a massive shift on offense to help establish their new identity as a smash mouth running team. Drafting the likes of Florida State running back Trey Benson, Illinois guard Isaiah Adams, and Illinois tight end Tip Reiman, along with the signing multiple free agents who fit the mold, sends a clear signal that Arizona is going to run the ball down opposing teams throats play after play.

The most obvious draft selection of Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is only going to help open up the field for Murray on passing downs as well as relieve pressure within the front seven, as teams will have to respect the rookies playmaking ability at the second level. Veteran running back James Conner should find plenty of opportunity to expand upon what was one of his best seasons to date.

It’s easy to forget that Arizona was projected to be the worst team in the league last season, and many a fan and analyst wrote them off the be blown out every game until Murray returned to service, but that simply did not happen. While the win total did not fall far from that prediction, it was clear this team was fighting game in and game out for their rookie head coach. The defense looked refined and relentless under Gannon’s guidance, and was a big reason why the team was so competitive.

Arizona even ended up shocking the world early on in the season with a major upset over the Dallas Cowboys in week three, which looked like a culmination of all the things we talked about coming together (plus some super hero stuff for Josh Dobbs).

With a clear identity, a fully healthy Murray, a budding defense behind a brilliant defensive mind, and players willing to go to war for their coach, the Cardinals could continue to shock the world and take a massive leap in Jonathan Gannon’s second year as head coach.

Arizona Cardinals’ most underrated player: EDGE Dennis Gardeck

Cardinals edge-rusher Dennis Gardeck has come out of nowhere to be an NFL force, and he’s his team’s most underrated player.

No offense to the University of Sioux Falls, which has has just four NFL alumni in its history, but it’s fair to say that Dennis Gardeck came from an unusual place as an undrafted free agent in 2018 to his current status as the Cardinals’ most productive edge-rusher. It was a career for Gardeck in 2023, as he put up six sacks and 42 total pressures. Not world-beating numbers, but when you consider what Gardeck had around him, and the fact that he got home to the quarterback without a lot of help more often than not, the arrow is pointing up here.

Gardeck is currently in the last year of a three-year, $10 million deal, so another season like his last one could give him some decent bank in the next free agency cycle. 

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Best defensive scheme fits from the 2024 NFL draft

From the Cardinals’ new secondary to cornerback talent for the Eagles and Lions, Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar get into the best scheme fits from the 2024 NFL draft.

When teams select players in the draft, they’re not just basing those picks on the prospects’ athletic attributes — they’re also looking at how those prospects fit in the structures of their schemes.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup) and Doug (of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group) discuss their favorite defensive scheme firs from the 2024 NFL draft. Greg and Doug already discussed their favorite offensive scheme fits in this draft, and you can find that right here.

  • The Arizona Cardinals’ secondary with cornerbacks Elijah Jones and Max Melton, and safety Dadrian Taylor-Demerson;
  • The Detroit Lions’ cornerback group with Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr.;
  • The Philadelphia Eagles’ secondary with cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and defensive back Cooper DeJean;
  • The Dallas Cowboys’ defensive line with DL Marshawn Kneeland;
  • The Buffalo Bills’ secondary with safety Cole Bishop;
  • The Green Bay Packers’ safeties with Javon Bullard and Kitan Oladapo;
  • The San Francisco 49ers’ secondary with Renardo Green and Malik Mustapha.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

How the Arizona Cardinals got themselves a whole new secondary in the 2024 NFL Draft

The Arizona Cardinals may have had the NFL’s worst secondary in 2023, and they addressed that with a passion in the 2024 NFL draft.

Last season, the Arizona Cardinals ranked dead last in Defensive DVOA, and only the Washington Commanders “led” by Jack Del Rio (until Del Rio was fired) and Ron Rivera were worse in DVOA against the pass. Head coach Jonathan Gannon didn’t have a lot to work with in the secondary — safety Jalen Thompson was the only Arizona defensive back in 2023 who allowed an opponent passer rating of less than 80.0, and only Thompson had more than one interception with his four.

So, general manager Monti Ossenfort, assistant GM Dave Sears, and Gannon had a lot they needed to accomplish in the draft. Certainly in terms of draft currency, they did all they could to improve things with the selections of Rutgers cornerback Max Melton with the 43rd overall pick in the second round, Boston College cornerback Elijah Jones with the 90th overall pick in the third round, and Texas Tech safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson with the 104th overall pick in the fourth round.

Both Melton and Jones are true outside stopper cornerbacks, and Taylor-Demerson has the range to play the deep third, leaving Jalen Thompson to do his thing closer to the line of scrimmage. If all these guys pan out early, the Cardinals could have one of the NFL’s most obviously-transformed secondaries in the 2024 season.

“I had about 20 [minutes] with him,” Gannon said of Max Melton in the pre-draft process. “Just his seriousness and intensity, honestly. This guy’s a very serious person. The mentality that we’re looking for fits the price of admission and [after] having him talk through some things, I could tell he was very well-schooled, well-trained, well-coached, and he understood what they were trying to get done there. I really fell in love with his mindset, his attitude and his demeanor. He walked down and I was like that’s a serious person and I liked that.”.

Last season, Melton allowed 24 catches on 44 targets for 252 yards, 72 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, three interceptions, three pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 65.7.

As for Elijah Jones, he was one of the NCAA’s better true island cornerbacks in this class — he allowed 13 catches on 40 targets for 194 yards, 58 yards after the catch, one touchdown, five interceptions, six pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 18.1 — which means that opposing quarterbacks were better off throwing the ball into the stands than they were trying to get it past Jones.

Taylor-Demerson was one of my favorite defensive backs in this draft, and my favorite deep-third safety. I was happy to see that the Cardinals see him in a similar fashion.

“Absolutely, he’s played safety down there for them,” Ossenfort said of Taylor-Demerson as a deep-third defender. “Really his best attributes I’d say are his range and his ball skills. He really has a nose for the football. I think he’s going to be able to play the deep half of the field and then we’ll see what else he can do. Versatility will come after that, but we think he brings a versatile element and range to the back half of the defense.”

My scouting report agrees.