Going into Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals knew they were facing a difficult three-game stretch. Miami, Buffalo and Seattle are all in the thick of their own playoff races, while the Cardinals try to make it there themselves.
Personally, I maintained the Cards needed to go 2-1 during this stretch at a minimum. The rest of the schedule eases up from there, but two wins appear necessary to take over first place in the NFC West.
The Cardinals already used up their loss in Sunday’s fall to Miami. It was disappointing, given another missed kick by Zane Gonzalez and the poor defensive effort.
Everything went right for Arizona last week. The Seahawks and 49ers both lost and the Saints beat the Buccaneers. Had the Cards beat the Dolphins, they would now be first place in the NFC West and possibly in the NFC as a whole.
On a positive note, Kyler Murray was unstoppable. Miami has the No. 1 scoring defense and is among one of the league’s best. The Cards under Murray only punted once — when Andy Isabella went backward instead of staying at the sticks. Sunday proved the Cardinals offense is as good as any and can compete against the best defenses.
On defense, it was a mess all day. There’s no reason to panic — yet. The Cards were down to their fifth-string cornerbacks opposite Patrick Peterson, and they were picked on all day. Vance Joseph’s defense sorely missed Byron Murphy (COVID) and Dre Kirkpatrick (thigh). Things should go a bit better upon their return.
DUD: Cardinals CBs, who were flagged for 4 DPI penalties and broke up as many passes on Sunday as you or I did. https://t.co/yWz3tGrOKI
— Jess Root (@senorjessroot) November 10, 2020
It is also worth noting that if Zane Gonzalez continues to struggle, he could be released by the team. Had Isaiah Simmons not bailed him out against Seattle, the Cards would be looking at potential back-to-back losses due to a missed kick. The team has veteran Mike Nugent on the roster, while other options are out there like Stephen Hauschka.
Looking ahead, the Bills and Seahawks are obviously very tough matchups. The Bills just throttled Seattle and appear to be a better team than the Dolphins, who just beat the Cardinals.
If Murphy and Kirkpatrick return for the Cards, we should see a much different defense. Still, the Bills offense featuring Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and John Brown will pose plenty of challenges.
The Seahawks, of course, nearly beat the Cardinals a few weeks ago. Still, an opportunity presents itself again. Regardless if the Seahawks win this week or not, they would lose their first place spot in the NFC West if they lose to the Cards again.
At 5-3. the Cards are far from panicking. A statement victory over the Bills this weekend could change their fortunes moving forward.
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