Cardinals Offense Flashed Potential Despite Loss
The Arizona Cardinals dropped another tough game to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 15.
The NFC powerhouse 49ers picked apart Arizona's defense all day as 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw four touchdowns, RB Christian McCaffrey accounted for 187 yards of offense and three total touchdowns.
It was, in most senses, the defensive disaster to be expected when facing Kyle Shanahan's squad. Arizona's offense, however, was able to put together solid drives and play competent football for at least a decent portion of the contest.
The Cardinals once again ran the ball in a dominant fashion. Seven ball carriers combined for 234 rushing yards on 30 attempts, averaging 7.8 yards per carry. James Conner rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown, including a 44-yard rumble to get into the red zone. Emari Demercado was able to rip off a 49-yard touchdown late in the game, and Kyler Murray also racked up 49 yards on the ground.
Arizona's first drive was a beauty. Seven plays, 75 yards and capped off by a Conner touchdown. Murray was 3/4 for 49 yards on the drive. Drew Petzing's offense looked competent and in control to start the game.
Moving the ball was far from problematic for the Cardinals. The birds collected 436 yards of offense, eclipsing their opponents' 406. Breakout star TE Trey McBride delivered yet another huge game, bringing in 10 receptions for 102 yards, his second 100-yard game of the season.
As dominant of a young player as McBride is, his elite level of performance also serves to highlight the severity of the lack of WR talent on this roster. While McBride excelled, the second highest receiver was backup TE Elijah Higgins, with 44 yards and a late-game touchdown.
Tight ends accounted for 172 yards through the air, while running backs hauled in 19. Of Kyler Murray's 211 passing yards, an abysmal 20 yards went to a wideout with Greg Dortch and Rondale Moore combining for five catches.
WRs Michael Wilson and Marquise Brown caught zero passes with Brown leaving the game with a heel injury once again. While it's been incredible to watch McBride transform into a weapon, Arizona's wide receivers need to be able to create separation and become a factor in the passing game for Kyler Murray.
Murray's offensive day wasn't his greatest performance. The QB did have some excellent throws--mainly to McBride and Higgins--and had a solid day in the running game, though some key misses led to negative plays for Arizona.
Murray's first big mistake came in the form of a pick-six by 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward. Following a beautiful first offensive drive and a quick response by the 49er offense, the Cardinals faced a 4th-and-3 in SF territory. Murray had McBride sitting in the hole over the middle, but hesitated just a hair, and gave Ward a chance to jump the throw and return it 66 yards for the touchdown.
While not an inaccurate throw, and McBride had the right look on the play, Murray's slight hesitation gave Ward a chance to make a great defensive play and put the Cardinals in the hole.
"It's on me, it's on me... I've got to be better," Murray said about the play postgame.
Murray threw a second interception, also to Ward late in the 4th quarter. With the game already out of reach, Murray sailed a pass intended for WR Zach Pascal.
Murray finished the game 26/39, for 211 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. While certainly not the worst QB performance imaginable, Murray made two notable mistakes, and missed multiple opportunities to finish drives off in the end zone. The Cardinals settled for three Matt Prater field goals, all on drives that looked promising, including a deep red zone trip in the second half.
Arizona's offense showed some potential. Putting up nearly 30 points on San Francisco's elite defensive unit, with a decent amount of points left on the field is no easy feat. That being said, the lack of production from the WR spot, and a sloppy game from Murray ultimately sank the Cardinals to a 3-11 record on the season.
It's easy to get down on a team watching a loss like this one, but their ability to move the ball even with an exceptional lack of depth and talent is an encouraging look to the 2024 season.
"Credit to [the 49ers] obviously, they're a great defense, but I think we moved the ball well today," Murray said.
The Cardinals will look to bolster both sides of the ball in the off-season, and with several excellent prospects on the offensive side of the ball, expect games like these to mirror just a fraction of what is to come.
