To learn more about Arizona, we spoke with Cards Wire editor Jess Root.
The Seattle Seahawks have one more game to play on their 2023 regular season schedule. Their final opponents are the Arizona Cardinals, who were eliminated from playoff contention several weeks ago but would love to play the spoiler against a division rival. Winning won’t guarantee Seattle a place in the postseason tournament, but losing would shut them out no matter what happens between Chicago/Green Bay.
To learn more about Arizona, we spoke with Cards Wire editor Jess Root. Here are a few questions he answered about his team.
Conner was named the team MVP by the local chapter of the PFWA and Brown was recognized for assisting reporters with their jobs.
The Arizona Cardinals wrap up their 2023 regular season this weekend against the Seattle Seahawks at home. With the conclusion of the season, the local chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America have selected two players on the team to honor for their yearly awards.
The Lloyd Herberg MVP Award was given to running back James Conner and the Steve Schoenfeld Good Guy Award was given to receiver Marquise Brown.
The MVP award is named for Herberg, a former beat writer for the Arizona Republic, covering the Cardinals from 1988-1994.
Conner was the obvious choice this season. He has 890 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. He has over 1,000 yards from scrimmage for the third consecutive year. He is the first player since Ottis Anderson and second in franchise history to have three consecutive seasons of 1,000 scrimmage yards.
The Steve Schoenfeld Good Guy Award, awarded to a player for being available, insightful and professional while communicating with reporters this season.
It is named after Schoenfeld, was a Cardinals and NFL beat writer for the Republic from 1988-2000, when he was killed by a drunk driver.
He won the award for Week 13. He is nominated again for his game against the Eagles in Week 17.
Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner rushed for 128 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 35-31 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 7, scoring the game-winning touchdown in the final minute.
That performance has earned him a Week 17 nomination for the FedEx Ground Player of the Week.
Fans get the chance to vote for the running back performance of the week for the ground player of the week and the best quarterback performance for air player of the week.
Fans can vote here for their selection until Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET.
Conner won the award in Week 13 after his 104-yard, two-touchdown game in the Cardinals’ 24-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Conner and the other nominees for both awards are below.
James Conner had a season-high 128 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns in the Cardinals’ win over the Eagles.
In the Arizona Cardinals’ 35-31 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, perhaps the player of the game was running back James Conner.
He had a season-high 128 rushing yards and scored two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving. His rushing touchdown was the game-winning score with 32 seconds left in the game.
It was his third 100-yard rushing game of the season.
You can catch every one of his touches in the video below.
The Cardinals had fantastic performances from several players in their 35-31 win over the Eagles on Sunday.
The Arizona Cardinals surprised everyone on Sunday with a 35-31 victory on the road over the Philadelphia Eagles. They did it behind a strong offensive performance.
While defensively, they came up with a couple of stops, but the story was how they dominated the game offensively.
This week, there were not studs and duds. They were all studs. These players stood out in their performance.
Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.
SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks
Pass-Rush
TD
Lamar Jackson
321-35
5
Kyler Murray
232-24
3
Justin Fields
268-45
2
Joe Flacco
309-3
3
Jordan Love
256-2
4
Running Backs
Yards
TD
Kyren Williams
20-87
2-14
3
Isiah Pacheco
18-130
7-35
1
Breece Hall
13-84
9-42
1
James Conner
26-128
1-5
2
Jerome Ford
12-64
2-57
2
Wide Receivers
Yards
TD
CeeDee Lamb
13-227
1
Davante Adams
13-126
2
D.J. Moore
9-159
1
Brandon Aiyuk
7-114
1
Jayden Reed
6-89
2
Tight Ends
Yards
TD
Juwan Johnson
8-90
1
David Njoku
6-134
0
Isaiah Likely
2-42
2
Dallas Goedert
5-41
1
Sam LaPorta
7-84
0
Placekickers
XP
FG
Harrison Butker
1
6
Brandon McManus
2
4
Ka’imi Fairbairn
2
4
Cairo Santos
4
3
Chris Boswell
4
3
Defense
Sack – TO
TD
Houston
6-1
1
Jacksonville
6-1
0
Buffalo
3-4
1
NY Giants
6-1
1
Cleveland
2-2
1
Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts
QB Will Levis – Foot
QB Tua Tagovailoa – Shoulder
RB Christian McCaffrey – Calf
RB Alvin Kamara – Ankle
RB AJ Dillon – Neck
WR Tee Higgins – Hamstring
WR Devonta Smith – Leg
WR Robert Woods – Hip
WR DeVante Parker – Ribs
WR Jayden Reed – Chest
TE Dawson Knox – Head
Chasing Ambulances
QB Will Levis – Injured his foot and was carted to the locker room. Test results will be known later in the week but the final game doesn’t matter much. Ryan Tannehill will replace him if needed.
QB Tua Tagovailoa – Left the blowout loss to the Ravens with an injury to his throwing shoulder. He was ruled out since the game was already out of hand but he said after the game that he was “good, just sore.”
RB Christian McCaffrey – Left early in the second half because of a calf injury and never returned. HC Kyle Shanahan said that he thought that McCaffrey would be “alright”, but he didn’t know if McCaffrey would be available next week. The 49ers have sewn up the No. 1 seed and will likely rest several players. McCaffrey is unlikely to be seen until the 49ers first game in the Divisional Round.
RB Alvin Kamara – He was already questionable to play with an illness, but Kamara was active and effective until he injured his ankle in the first quarter after ten rushes. It was not known if he had a high ankle sprain or not. The Saints are the current No. 9 seed and would need help to reach the playoffs next week.
WR Tee Higgins – Left the game with a hamstring injury but managed to return in the third quarter.
WR Devonta Smith – Was injured while blocking near the end of the game. He was on crutches with a walking boot after the game. The prognosis wasn’t released but there should be more information early in the week. The injury was serious enough for the boot and crutches which throws a shadow onto Week 18 when they finish up at the Giants.
WR Jayden Reed – He had already caught two touchdowns when he injured his chest during the second quarter in the win over the Vikings. He underwent CT scans after the game but his prognosis has not been disclosed. The Packers host the Bears next week and need all hands on deck since the Packers are currently the No. 7 seed.
Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables
QB Jordan Love – He was likely on many benches if his fantasy owner even made the playoffs, but the Packers quarterback is looking better and erasing some of the early season fears. He threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns at the Vikings and rushed in a touchdown as well.
RB Kyren Williams – Taken as just running back depth in summer drafts, the Rams tailback has become an elite producer and fantasy team owners in large contests did very well in Week 17 when he ran for 87 yards, gained 14 yards on two catches and totaled three touchdowns.
RB James Conner – Playing at the Eagles meant lowering expectations against the No. 1 defense against running backs. Except Conner rushed for 128 yards on 26 carries with two touchdowns as a visitor.
RB Justice Hill – The Ravens lost Keaton Mitchell, so they just switched back to Hill as the RB2. The third-down back ran for 48 yards on three carries and caught five passes for 64 yards and one score. Any back on that powerhouse team carries fantasy value.
WR Julio Jones – The Eagles receiver caught two passes for 34 yards in the loss to the Cardinals. But he scored on each and Philly may be without DeVonta Smith.
TE Isaiah Likely – The replacement for Mark Anderson is becoming a factor in games thanks to playing in an offense that likes to throw to tight ends. Likely made a one-handed catch on a reception and while he only caught two passes for 42 yards, he caught two of the eight touchdowns by a tight end this week.
TE David Njoku – Since Joe Flacco showed up, Njoku was a scoring machine with a touchdown in four straight games. He failed to score this week, but led the position with 134 yards on six catches.
WR Bo Melton – The Packers wideout was called up from the practice squad to help cover for all the wideout injuries in Week 17. He responded by leading the Packers with nine targets for six catches and 105 yards with a touchdown. It was the first 100-yard performance by any Packer receiver this year.
RB Najee Harris – He lost his job as a receiver out of the backfield, and was listed below Jaylen Warren on the depth chart. He never had a 100-yard game and scored just once in the last month. So right when you need him the most and trust him the least, Harris turned in a season-best 122 yards on 27 carries with two touchdowns.
Huddle player of the week
Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
CeeDee Lamb – He was already well represented on fantasy playoff teams and then helped to deliver the trophy for many when he caught 13 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown. 41.7 fantasy points is a difference-maker.
Salute!
Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry
We’re looking at an updated NFC playoff picture after the Philadelphia Eagles shocking 35-31 loss to Arizona Cardinals
The Eagles entered Sunday controlling their own destiny in the NFC, while still having opportunity to move up as far as No. 1 with help.
That plan was demolished, as Arizona upset Philadelphia 35-31 at Lincoln Financial Field, upending the NFC race, while sending Nick Sirianni’s team to the No. 5 seed, and a date on the road against the NFC South’s division winner.
With fans and pundits in shock, here’s an updated look at the NFC playoff picture.
We’re looking at the national reaction of the Philadelphia Eagles shocking 35-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at home in Week 17
In what can only be described as a shocking performance, the Eagles no longer control their destiny after a 35-31 loss to the Cardinals at home.
In Jonathan Gannon’s return to Philadelphia, Arizona rushed for 221 yards, with James Conner logging 26 physical carries for 128 yards and one touchdown.
The Cardinals’ win put the Cowboys in the No. 2 seed entering Week 18, and a victory over Washington would give Dallas the NFC East.
With the outcome now final, here’s the national reaction to the Eagles’ stunning collapse.
The Cardinals went into Philadelphia and shocked the Eagles
This is the weekend of good luck for the Dallas Cowboys.
After getting the break of breaks against the Detroit Lions, the Cowboys sat home and watched the Arizona Cardinals stun the Philadelphia Eagles, 35-31 at the Linc on Sunday.
The Cardinals came in 3-12. In the bizarro world of the NFL, two of Arizona’s four wins have now come against Philadelphia and Dallas.
The winning points came on a James Conner 2-yard run with 32 seconds left.
