Tag: Cardinals vs. Bills

Bills OL O’Cyrus Torrence only player fined in Cardinals-Bills Week 1 game

A look at the players who were and were not fined in the Cardinals’ season opener against the Bills.

The fines are in for Week 1 in the NFL and there were 22 players fined for a total of $247,147. There were no Arizona Cardinals fined, and that includes linebacker Zaven Collins for the bogus 15-yard roughing the passer penalty that wiped out a sack.

On the Buffalo side, cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram was not fined for his also bogus unnecessary roughness penalty on quarterback Kyler Murray, who gained six yards on third-and-13 from the Bills 25-yard line in the opening possession of the game.

The penalty moved the ball to the nine-yard line and Murray connected with wide receiver Michael Wilson three plays later on a 5-yard touchdown and the Cardinals led 7-0.

Bills right guard O’Cyrus Torrence was fined $7,855 for a facemask penalty on defensive lineman Dante Stills at the 10:35 mark of the second quarter. That flag negated a Josh Allen 4-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal and the Bills had to settle for a field goal after Allen was sacked for no yards on third-and-19.

The Collins penalty came on a Bills first-and-10 from the Cardinals’ 41-yard line on a play that began with 45 seconds remaining in the first half. Instead of a nine-yard loss, the penalty moved the ball to the 26, and three plays later, Allen ran seven yards for a touchdown and cut the Cardinals’ lead to 17-10 at halftime.

Five of the 22 fines involved players on the Raiders and Chargers for a fight that occurred after a fourth-quarter two-point conversion attempt.

Raiders cornerback Jack Jones ($5,472) and Chargers wide receiver Josh Palmer ($11,255) were the main combatants, while Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby ($11,225), defensive tackle Christian Wilkins ($11,255) and safety Marcus Epps ($11,817) were fined for becoming involved.

The breakdown of the 22 penalties were 19 for unnecessary roughness, two for a hit on the quarterback and one for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Josh Allen somehow not AFC Offensive player of the Week after play vs. Cardinals

Despite two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns against the Cardinals, Josh Allen was not AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

The Arizona Cardinals saw a number of players win conference player of the week honors after going against them. It happened again after their 34-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills, although there was a huge snub.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen was not the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, despite passing for 232 yards and touchdowns and rushing for another two touchdowns, accounting for all four of Buffalo’s touchdowns.

Instead, the award went to Houston running back Joe Mixon, who rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown in the Texans’ 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts. He also added 19 receiving yards.

While Mixon was solid, it was a surprise to see that Allen didn’t win the award.

Perhaps the league didn’t want too many Bills players in the players of the week, as defensive end Greg Rousseau, who sacked Cardinals quarterback three times and forced a fumble, won AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals-Bills reactions: The good, the bad and what needs to change

Jess Root and Seth Cox break down the good and bad in the Cardinals’ loss to the Bills in the latest edition of the podcast.

The Arizona Cardinals lost their season opener on Sunday on the road to the Buffalo Bills. In this edition of the podcast, Seth Cox and I react to the game.

There was good and bad in the loss.

We go over the good, especially the early offensive play, the play of most of  the offensive line, the individual play of linebackers Zaven Collins and Mack Wilson, and how they put themselves in a position to win the game late after things got away from them.

We go over the bad, and there was plenty. Mostly, it was the fact they couldn’t stop Josh Allen at all and they could not beat the Bills’ tackles.

We also go over things we believe that need to change moving forward, such as the offense making a more concerted effort to pressure the boundaries of the defense and get Marvin Harrison Jr. involved.

Enjoy the show!

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

Times and topics:

(1:00) How our bets went and the good things in the loss

(17:52) The bad things in the loss

(33:22) What needs to change moving forward

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Cardinals’ offensive performance not as bad as it seemed, based on Week 1 in NFL

In Week 1, 13 teams, including the Cardinals, had 270 or fewer total yards of offense.

The Arizona Cardinals looked great offensively in the first half of their 34-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. They gained 190 yards and had a 17-10 lead at halftime.

However, they only finished with 270 total yards. Most would consider that bad.

However, it wasn’t as bad as you might think.

In Week 1, including the Cardinals, 13 teams had 270 or fewer yards of offense. Their 270 yards were more than 11 teams. Their 20 points scored on offense (eight of their 20 came on DeeJay Dallas’ kickoff return for a touchdown and the ensuing two-point conversion) were more than all but one of the teams that matched or had fewer yards. Only the Dallas Cowboys, who scored 26 offensive points on 265 yards of offense, scored more. The other seven Dallas points came from a punt return touchdown.

Chicago had the lowest offensive output in Week 1 with 148 yards but had 24 points in a win, but they scored a special teams touchdown and a defensive touchdown. The offense produced only nine points.

So while the 270 yards were perhaps a little worrisome in isolation, especially considering they only gained 80 in the second half, comparatively, they weren’t bad.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Kyler Murray ‘missing’ wide open Marvin Harrison Jr. explained

Analyst Dan Orlovsky breaks down what happened on the play Harrison was wide open but wasn’t thrown the ball.

A day after the Arizona Cardinals’ 34-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills Sunday, there remains a buzz of what could have been, especially as it relates to the last-drive play when wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. broke open on a second-and-6 play with 1:10 remaining in the game from the Buffalo 39-yard line.

Social media went insane Sunday night when a freeze-frame of the play appeared to show Murray in the pocket, looking downfield at Harrison. Of course, that wasn’t close to being accurate.

I liken freeze-frames to using your TV remote to pause when someone’s talking and it catches the person in that moment with eyes closed and making a weird face. Just not the reality of things at life speed.

So, it was noteworthy when ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback, broke down the play on Twitter with the revealing video. Watch it because it shows what is often the case: Things often aren’t often what they appear to be.

Here are Orlovsky’s words:

“The still shot looks like Kyler missed a wide-open Marvin Harrison. How did he miss that? No. 1, they flipped the back. The right guard, center, left guard and left tackle are going left. The back and the right tackle are left to the right (side). So, really, rules-wise would tell me if two guys from off the ball blitzed to this (right) side, you would be hot. You would at least feel warm as a quarterback, especially if those people vacate and you have a slot receiver replacing him.

“So, maybe not hot because they’re coming from depth and you might be able to pass this off and get back to it, but you’re warm and so Kyler I would say, Kyler is going to throw this ball to Dortch in the slot as they’re playing like a catch coverage down here meaning this corner’s reading this No. 2 defender. He could be a Cover 2 corner or a deep quarter player. That’s the thought process.”

Orlovsky then explains what happens next.

He said, “So Kyler’s going to throw that slot, kind of replace hot. Then that defender jumps. We’re in danger of battled ball, a tipped ball, interception, whatever. So he goes to reset, and he goes to work to his left. Now he’s, work to the left, work left, he’s still working left, still working left.”

That’s when Harrison breaks open on the right side of the field, but Murray was moving to his left.

Orlovsky continues while Murray starts moving to his right: “As he retraces here, you might sit there and say, ‘Oh my gosh, how do you not see him?’ but you got to remember: He’s right now … you’re thinking, am I hot, am I warm? As he goes there, he says, I got to get the ball out of my hands. The last thing you can do in this situation is take a sack. That’s a hard thing to see right there. Then, he probably peeks at him here and goes, ‘Oh.’ But (he sees) two bodies (defenders) running downfield (toward Harrison). So I honestly don’t sit there as like, ‘What a miss to Marvin Harrison here.’

“For me, this is way more about broken coverage. You’re asking me to see something that I might see once-a-year type of thing. Again, Kyler’s peaking left here and he resets. Look at his back angle as he resets. There’s just a ton of bodies here (in front of him). He’s probably gonna struggle, yes, to see over that. Not his fault. I don’t think that is a ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe he didn’t see or miss a wide-open guy.’”

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals’ Week 1 defensive, ST snap counts, observations vs. Bills

A look at how the defensive and special teams playing time was divided up on Sunday against the Bills.

In the Arizona Cardinals’ 34-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills, there 21 players participated in at least one of the 62 defensive snaps and 34 that played at least one of the 27 special-teams snaps.

The first number after each name is snaps and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.

Defensive linemen

  • Justin Jones 43/69, Bilal Nichols 27/44, Dante Stills 25/40, Roy Lopez 23/37, L.J. Collier 22/35, Khyiris Tonga 16/26
  • Injured reserve: Darius Robinson (eligible to return)

There were only four tackles from the group with Jones leading with two (one solo). He recovered the fumble forced by a Lopez first-quarter sack and he had one tackle for loss plus a quarterback hit. Tonga had one solo tackle. Stills and Nichols did not make the stat list.

Linebackers

  • ILB Kyzir White 62/100, OLB Zaven Collins 43/69, OLB Dennis Gardeck 40/65, ILB Mack Wilson Sr. 39/63, OLB Xavier Thomas 18/29, OLB Victor Dimukeje 13/21, ILB Owen Pappoe 12/19, ILB Krys Barnes 10/16
  • Inactive: OLB Jesse Luketa
  • Injured reserve: BJ Ojulari

White led the team with 11 tackles (five solo) and had one tackle for loss and a quarterback hit. Wilson was only two behind with nine tackles, but led the team with eight solo stops. He had a tackle for loss and pass defensed. Collins also had nine tackles (five solo) and a tackle for loss, but lost a sack on a questionable roughing-the-passer penalty that occurred moments before he was held. Pappoe had four tackles (one solo) in his 12 snaps and nearly had a sack of Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Thomas rarely got pressure on Allen in his 18 snaps.

Defensive backs

  • S Budda Baker 62/100, S Jalen Thompson 62/100, CB Sean Murphy-Bunting 62/100, CB Star Thomas V 51/82, CB Garrett Williams 38/61, CB Max Melton 11/18, CB Kei’Trel Clark 4/6
  • Did not play: S Dadrion (Rabbit) Taylor-Demerson, S Joey Blount (both played only on special teams)
  • Inactive: S Darren Hall
  • Injured reserve: CB Elijah Jones (eligible to return)

Baker had 10 tackles (four solo) with one for loss. Thompson had six tackles (four solo) and a pass defensed. Murphy-Bunting had five tackles (two solo), but had a penalty for pass interference (only six yards) and holding. Williams and Thomas had three solo tackles, while Clark had two. Melton missed a tackle by hitting high rather than wrapping up. He was in concussion protocol after the game.

Special teams

LB Krys Barnes 23/85, LB Owen Pappoe 23/85, S Dadrion (Rabbit) Taylor-Demerson 21/78, WR Zach Pascal 17/63, LB Victor Dimukeje 17/63, CB Max Melton 17/63, S Joey Blount 17/63, KR DeeJay Dallas 16/59, TE Tip Reiman 11/41, K Matt Prater 10/37, TE Elijah Higgins 10/37, RB Emari Demercado 8/30, LB Dennis Gardeck 8/30, CB Kei’Trel Clark 8/30, P Blake Gillikin 6/22, LS Aaron Brewer 6/22, DL Justin Jones 6/22, DL Bilal Nichols 6/22, DL Dante Stills 6/22, DL Roy Lopez 6/22, LB Xavier Thomas 6/22, S Budda Baker 6/22, CB Sean Murphy-Bunting 6/22, CB Garrett Williams 5/19, T Paris Johnson Jr. 4/15, G Evan Brown 4/15, C Hjalte Froholdt 4/15, T Kelvin Beachum 4/15, G Isaiah Adams 4/15, C/G Trystan Colon 4/15, G Will Hernandez 3/11, RS Greg Dortch 3/11, T Jonah Williams 1/4, S Jalen Thompson 1/4

One of Prater’s kickoffs landed short of the landing zone, placing the ball on the 40-yard line. That was the only Cardinals penalty of the game on special teams. Melton was the only player credited with tackles. He had two, plus one assist.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals’ Week 1 offensive snap counts, observations vs. Bills

A look at how the Cardinals split up their offensive snaps in Week 1 against the Bills.

In the Arizona Cardinals’ 34-28 loss to the Buffalo Bills, there were 18 players that participated in at least one of the 61 offensive snaps.

The first number after each name is snaps and the second is the percentage. Players in bold were starters.

Quarterbacks

  • Kyler Murray 61/100
  • Did not play: Clayton Tune

Murray had his moments, especially in the first half, but was sacked four times and averaged only 5.23 yards per attempt and 7.7 per completion. Solid, but not good enough to win.

Running backs

  • James Conner 41/67, Emari Demercado 13/21, Trey Benson 8/13
  • Did not play: DeeJay Dallas (played only on special teams)

Conner was more productive as a receiver than runner with three catches for 33 yards, including one for 22 on the opening drive of the game. A 20-yard run gave him 50 for the game, but his other 15 carries totaled only 30 yards. Demercado had a 24-yard reception, but didn’t have any rushes. Benson rushed for 13 yards on three attempts and caught a pass for five yards in one second-quarter possession, but wasn’t seen again.

Wide receivers

  • Marvin Harrison Jr. 55/90, Michael Wilson 49/80, Greg Dortch 37/61, Zach Pascal 4/7, Chris Moore 1/2
  • Inactive: Xavier Weaver (injured)
  • Suspended: Zay Jones

Harrison and Wilson played a combined 104 snaps, but were targeted a total of five times and combined for two receptions for nine yards. Wilson’s reception was a touchdown, but he also had a drop in the final possession of the game. Harrison also had a drop and a miscommunication with Murray on the first drive of the game.

Tight ends

  • Trey McBride 52/85, Elijah Higgins 25/41, Tip Reiman 20/33
  • Inactive: Travis Vokolek

Murray and McBride connected on only 5-of-9 targets and gained only 30 yards with a long of eight. Higgins had two early catches for 12 yards, while Reiman (no targets) was utilized as a blocker.

Offensive linemen

  • LT Paris Johnson Jr. 61/100, LG Evan Brown 61/100, C Hjalte Froholdt 61/100, RG Will Hernandez 61/100, RT Kelvin Beachum 39/64, RT Jonah Williams 22/36
  • Did not play: G Isaiah Adams, C/G Trystan Colon (both played only on special teams)
  • Inactive: G/C Jon Gaines II
  • Injured reserve: T Christian Jones (eligible to return), T Carter O’Donnell

Williams exited with a knee injury on the final play of the first quarter and didn’t return. Beachum replaced him and struggled at times, although head coach Jonathan Gannon said, “I thought Beach played well. I thought he played his ass off.”

In a tough road venue, there were no false starts and there were no offensive penalties on the Cardinals.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

Cardinals-Bills Week 1 postgame analysis

Howard Balzer talks about the Cardinals’ loss to the Bills on the latest edition of the podcast.

The Arizona Cardinals lost on Sunday to the Buffalo Bills 34-28 after taking a 17-3 lead. This episode of the podcast has Howard Balzer giving his postgame thoughts.

He talks about the offensive numbers for the Cardinals and how there should be some context. While they only gained 270 total yards, that was as good or better than 10 other teams in the league.

He had thoughts about the numbers for Marvin Harrison Jr. and the still frame that shows how Kyler Murray didn’t see Harrison wide open for a touchdowns.

He reminds us that play execution is often more important than play calling.

The Cardinals are like half the league that lost their games in Week 1.

He calls for some optimism.

Enjoy the show!

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

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Week 1 defensive stats for Cardinals vs. Bills

A look at the Cardinals’ individual and team defensive stats against the Bills.

The Arizona Cardinals lost their season opener on Sunday 34-28 to the Buffalo Bills. The defense struggled to contain quarterback Josh Allen, who had two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. He had a third rushing touchdown called back.

Let’s have a look at the team and individual defensive numbers for the Cardinals on Sunday

Arizona Cardinals Week 1 team defensive stats

  • 352 yards allowed
  • 130 rushing yards allowed on 3.9 yards per attempt
  • 222 net passing yards allowed
  • 3-for-9 on third down allowed
  • 2-for-2 on fourth down allowed
  • 4-for-6 red zone allowed
  • 1-for-2 goal to go allowed
  • 23 first downs allowed

Individual defensive stats

  • Kyzir White: 11 tackles, 1 QB hits, 1 tackle for loss
  • Budda Baker: 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
  • Mack Wilson: 9 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass breakup
  • Zaven Collins: 9 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
  • Jalen Thompson: 6 tackles, 1 pass breakup
  • Sean Murphy-Bunting: 5 tackles
  • Owen Pappoe: 4 tackles
  • Garrett Williams: 3 tackles
  • Star Thomas: 3 tackles
  • Kei’Trel Clark: 2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 QB hit
  • Justin Jones: 2 tackles, 1 fumble recovery
  • Krys Barnes: 2 tackles
  • Roy Lopez: 1 tackle, 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble
  • Khyiris Tonga: 1 tackle

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Cardinals Week 1 offensive stats vs. Bills

Let’s have a look at the offensive numbers from the Cardinals’ loss to the Bills.

The Arizona Cardinals lost in Week 1 34-28 to the Buffalo Bills on the road on Sunday. They jumped out to a 17-3 lead but were outscored 31-11 the rest of the way.

Let’s have a look at the team and individual offensive numbers for the team in the game.

Team offensive stats

  • 270 total yards
  • 7-for-13 on third down
  • 0-for-1 on fourth down
  • 2-for-4 in the red zone
  • 124 rushing yards on 5.0 yards per carry
  • 146 net passing yards
  • 4 sacks allowed

Individual passing stats

  • Kyler Murray: 21-for-31 passing (67.7%), 162 yards, 1 TD pass, 91.1 passer rating, sacked four times

Individual rushing stats

  • Kyler Murray: 5 attempts, 57 yards
  • James Conner: 16 attempts, 50 yards, 1 TD
  • Trey Benson: 3 attempts, 13 yards
  • Greg Dortch: 1 attempt, 4 yards

Individual receiving stats

  • Greg Dortch: 6 receptions, 47 yards
  • James Conner: 3 receptions, 33 yards
  • Tret McBride: 5 receptions, 30 yards
  • Emari Demercado: 2 receptions, 26 yards
  • Elijah Higgins: 2 receptions, 12 yards
  • Michael Wilson: 1 reception, 5 yards, 1 TD
  • Marvin Harrison Jr.: 1 reception, 4 yards

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.