PODCAST: Are the Cardinals a good bad team or a bad good team?

Jess Root and Seth Cox react to the Cardinals’ Week 3 win over the Cowboys in the newest podcast edition.

The Arizona Cardinals, after two losses in which they had halftime leads, picked up a surprising upset win over the Dallas Cowboys. That is the topic of this edition of the podcast I have with Revenge of the Birds’ Seth Cox.

We go over how exactly the Cardinals beat the Cowboys. We talk about quarterback Josh Dobbs and his development so far. Lastly, we discuss what type of team the Cardinals are. We know they are not a terrible team. Are they a good bad team, or are they a bad good team?

Enjoy the show!


Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple PodcastsSpotify or your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss a show. Make sure as well to give it a five-star rating!


Topics and times:

(1:00) How the Cardinals beat the Cowboys

(27:22) Josh Dobbs’ play so far

(38:41) Are the Cardinals a good bad team or a bad good team?

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Cardinals K Matt Prater is NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

He scored 10 points and made three field goals, including a 62-yarder as time expired in the first half of the Cardinals’ 28-16 win.

The Arizona Cardinals won their first game of the season on Sunday and got help from kicker Matt Prater. The league recognized his contributions in Week 3, naming him the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 3.

Prater hit three field goals on Sunday, including one from 62 yards as time expired in the first half as part of the Cardinals’ 28-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

It is the 15th time he has won player of the week honors in his career. Only one other kicker — Adam Vinatieri — has won more with 19.

He last won it after the Cardinals beat the Cowboys at the end of the 2021 season in Week 17. It was the third time he won player of the week honors with the Cardinals.

He surpassed 1,700 points for his career with 10 on Sunday (three field goals and one PAT). He is now 19th all-time in NFL history in scoring.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Trystan Colon’s playing time vs. Cowboys all part of trying to ‘tinker with different groups’

Colon replaced Elijah Wilkinson during two drives in he first half at left guard.

The Arizona Cardinals have had the same offensive line for almost every single snap this season. That changed in Week 2. For two possessions, Elijah Wilkinson was replaced at left guard by Trystan Colon, a player they picked up on a waiver claim before the season.

Was there an injury? Was Wilkinson getting benched?

Wilkinson would return and finish the game, missing only two seven-play drives.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon explained why Colon got into the game.

“Just wanted to get Colon in the game a little bit,” he told reporters Monday. “I thought Elijah played really well and, when Colon came in there, he did a good job.”

It was testing things out.

“We’re always looking to tinker with different groups and people and trying to help our guys out and also playing guys that are going to need to be up and playing, so that’s a part of it, too,” he said.

The Cardinals had not even touched the first-team offensive line since the offseason program in OTAs. Of course, Colon was not on the team then.

It would appear the coaches are either rewarding Colon’s work in practice or would like to push Wilkinson, who has been, based on what fans can see on the field, the weakest link on the line.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Cardinals C Hjalte Froholdt named ‘secret superstar’ of Week 3

He is the second Cardinals O-lineman in as many weeks to make this list.

The Arizona Cardinals picked up a surprising 28-16 win in Week 3 over the visiting Dallas Cowboys, a team that had thoroughly dominated its competition through two weeks.

There were strong performances from a few players like running back James Conner, kicker Matt Prater, linebacker Kyzir White and even quarterback Josh Dobbs.

However, there was a secret superstar on the Cardinals in Week 3. Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar put together Week 3’s team of underrated “secret superstars” of the week. It was center Hjalte Froholdt.

Froholdt was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 2019 draft out of Arkansas, and the Cardinals are his third NFL team — he was the Cleveland Browns’ rotational center and right guard in 2022, and signed a vet minimum deal in Arizona. So far, it’s proven to be a massive bargain, as Froholdt is playing with great mobility, balance, and pure power. Against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Froholdt allowed no pressures of any kind on all 32 of Josh Dobbs’ dropbacks, and that’s against a Dallas defense that had terrorized quarterbacks through the first two weeks of the 2023 season. That 28-16 upset in favor of the Cardinals speaks to the feisty demeanor of Jonathan Gannon’s team, and don’t underestimate Froholdt’s part in that particular surprise.

Froholdt has been a solid pickup this year. He has improved each week.

It is the second straight week a Cardinals lineman makes this list. Tackle D.J. Humphries was a secret superstar in Week 2.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Josh Dobbs on same track as Drew Stanton, Colt McCoy as trusted backup QB

Based on his early play, he has probably earned long-term status on the roster.

The Arizona Cardinals have had a steady backup quarterback for most of the last 10 years. Coaches have found a quarterback they trust to be the backup and have kept them around.

Based on three games of work for Josh Dobbs, he has probably established him as the long-term backup option moving forward as long as Jonathan Gannon is the head coach.

The Cardinals signed Drew Stanton in 2013 and, after he filled in for Carson Palmer in 2014, leading the Cardinals to five wins in eight games, head coach Bruce Arians trusted him completely.

He was with the Cardinals the entire time Arians was head coach.

After a year of Brett Hundley and then Christ Streveler, the Cardinals found Colt McCoy, who in 2021, won two of three starts when Kyler Murray was hurt.

That earned him a two-year contract and he would have continued to be the backup if Kliff Kingsbury had not been fired last offseason.

The Cardinals went out of their way to get Dobbs and he has been solid. His job will soon be ending, as he will slide into a backup’s role once Kyler Murray is activated from PUP, but his time on the Cardinals will likely continue.

“I think he’s played winning football for his since he has been here,” Gannon told reporters Monday. “I think you guys will continue to see his improvement as he gets more comfortable.

“He’s pretty comfortable right now. He’s making a bunch of plays for us. He’s got good command in the huddle. He never has any flinch, which I love about him. He’s doing a good job.”

He probably hasn’t done enough to warrant teams seeking him out for a starting job, so, considering his age (28 years old), his steady play and his demeanor and command of his teammates, he seems like he will be the Cardinals’ backup for as long as Gannon is here.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Cardinals’ Week 3 defensive snap counts an observations vs. Cowboys

We take a look at how the defense split up the 81 snaps they had on Sunday in their win over the Cowboys.

The Arizona Cardinals played 81 defensive snaps on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys in their 28-16 win. How was the playing time split up?

Below, we detail the individual snap counts for every player who got in the game defensively, grouped by position.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Cardinals’ Week 3 offensive snap counts an observations vs. Cowboys

See how the Cardinals split up their 61 offensive snaps on Sunday against the Cowboys.

In the Arizona Cardinals’ 28-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, the offense was on the field for 61 snaps.

How was the playing time divided up?

Below are the individual snap counts for every player who appeared on offense, grouped by position.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Cardinals suffer 2 more defensive injuries in Week 3

Zaven Collins left the game after getting poked in the eye. Krys Barnes exited with a hand injury.

The Arizona Cardinals have had to suffer more than their fair share of injuries on their defense. On Sunday, two more defenders got hurt.

Linebacker Zaven Collins got poked in the eye and had to leave the game. Linebacker Krys Barnes, already in the starting lineup because of an injury to Josh Woods, left the game with a hand injury.

We will see if either injury causes them to miss any practice time and put their availability in Week 4 at risk.

Woods has missed the last two games with an ankle injury. Starting nose tackle Leki Fotu missed Week 2 with a shoulder injury. Defensive linemen L.J. Collier and Carlos Watkins both are on injured reserve for biceps injuries that required surgery. Neither is likely to return this season.

Safety Budda Baker is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

The Cardinals’ depth was questionable to begin with. They can hardly afford to sustain any more injuries.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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POLL: Who was the Cardinals’ player of the game?

Vote in the poll to tell us who you think was the Cardinals’ player of the game on Sunday.

The Arizona Cardinals beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-16 on Sunday for their first win of the season. They had solid performances by several players.

But who was the player of the game?

We have our candidates below. Then you can vote in the poll.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Red-zone defense was difference for Cardinals in win

The Cardinals held the Cowboys to one touchdown in five red-zone trips after allowing four in five in the second half against the Giants.

The Arizona Cardinals picked up their first win of the season on Sunday, defeating the Dallas Cowboys 28-16 at State Farm Stadium.

It was a game in which the Cowboys beat the Cardinals in most statistical categories.

They outgained the Cardinals. They were better on third down. They won time of possession.

However, the red-zone defense of the Cardinals was the difference in the game.

Arizona held Dallas to 1-for-5 in the red zone scoring touchdowns. The Cowboys went 0-for-2 in goal-to-goal situations.

The Cowboys’ one turnover was at the end of the game in the red zone.

After giving up 31 points in the second half last week to the New York Giants and knowing the Cowboys would rally offensively, the Cardinals knew what they had to do better.

“Last week against the Giants, we were giving up touchdowns in the red zone,” linebacker Kyzir White said after the game. “This week, the big emphasis was let’s be great in the red zone and limit them to three whether we are playing on a short field or not. Whether they drive it down there, let’s just try to get them to kick some field goals.”

The Cowboys made it to the red zone all four of their possessions in the second half. The Cardinals forced field goals twice, got the ball back on a fourth-down stop and then White had an interception in the end zone to seal the victory.

Last week, the Giants went 4-for-5 scoring touchdowns in the red zone, all in the second half, scoring touchdowns on four and a field goal on the fifth trip.

After that choke job, the Cardinals, even with a depleted defense, were able to do enough late in drives to keep the Cowboys from scoring touchdowns.

The result was an upset win.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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