Sunday was an abysmal loss for the Arizona Cardinals. The Cards had the Patriots beat in almost every statistical category, but found a way to lose in the end. A big part of that loss came off the right foot of Zane Gonzalez, but the team should never have been in that position to begin with.
So, since this is overreaction Monday, what is there to overreact to?
The Cards have severely jeopardized their playoff chances with this loss. While they still hold the NFC’s seventh seed, they have allowed other teams to get within striking distance. Minnesota, Chicago and San Francisco are all 5-6. With a loss to the Rams on Sunday, they’ll likely allow one of those teams to tie.
It was a week of missed opportunities in the playoff standings. The previously first-place Rams fell to the 49ers. A win in New England would have put the Cardinals ahead of L.A. in the division. They’ll have the opportunity to do that again this Sunday, but it would have been nice to have a bit of extra breathing room.
It would be easy to overreact to the Cardinals offense. Since being nearly unstoppable since their breakout game against Dallas, the unit has sputtered in their last two games. Vance Joseph’s defense has played well enough to win in both of those contests, particularly in New England. It’s fair to wonder if there is concern with Kyler Murray’s throwing shoulder, but almost everyone has said it’s a non-factor.
Despite losing to the 49ers, the Rams have one of the best defenses in the NFL. If the Cardinals offense plays like it has recently, they’ll undoubtedly fall back down to .500 on the year. Given their 5-2 start to the year, falling to 6-6 would be very disappointing.
While the second half was a mess for the Cardinals, they still could have won the game on a Zane Gonzalez 45-yard kick. He’d miss wide right, leaving the sideline stunned. This kick marks the third clutch kick missed by Gonzalez in the past month. He had crucial missed kicks against Seattle and Miami (one of which he was bailed out by Isaiah Simmons).
There’s a chance Gonzalez is moved on from this week. A year removed from being a Pro Bowl alternate kicker, Gonzalez may find himself back as a free agent. There’s still a chance the Cards hold onto him, but the sad truth is he’s cost the team from being much higher in the playoff conversation.
There really aren’t many options in the available kicker market. Longtime Seahawk Stephen Hauschka is available at age 35. There is also Aldrick Rosas, who has gone in and out of the active lineup for the Jaguars this season following a four-week suspension. Rosas was a Pro Bowl selection in 2018.
The Cardinals now find themselves in a pivotal matchup against the division rival Rams this Sunday. There are massive implications in this one. If they win, they’ll be 7-5 and second place in the NFC West. If they lose, they’ll be 6-6 and possibly no longer in possession of a playoff spot. They’ve come up big before, particularly against Seattle and Buffalo. We’ll see if they can do it again.
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