Everything That Went Right/Wrong for Cardinals in loss vs. Patriots

Another loss for the Arizona Cardinals, but this one was more costly than the others. Here's everything that went right and wrong for them.

Author:
Richie Bradshaw
Publish date:
Dec 13, 2022 9:00 AM EST

In this story:

Arizona Cardinals

New England Patriots

Honestly, the Arizona Cardinals and their fans are hoping that Monday night's matchup against the New England Patriots was a nightmare, and can't wait to wake up from it.

This isn't simply because the Cardinals dropped their ninth game of the year and officially have a losing record. Rather, it's the losses from injuries that have our stomachs in knots and praying for them to not be serious, even though the writing appears to be on the wall.

We will discuss those soon, but let's take a look at everything that went right and wrong for the Cardinals in their loss to the Patriots on Monday Night Football.

What went right

James Conner continues to surge

There were very few notable performances for the Cardinals in their loss to the Patriots, but James Conner shined brightly in this game. He was perhaps the only good thing to come out of the offense.

Conner touched the ball 21 times (15 carries and six receptions) for 104 yards (85 rushing and 29 receiving) and a touchdown. Conner's touchdown run made us feel like we were watching a runaway train off the tracks as he blew through defenders like they were nothing. This comes off Conner's 140 yards performance against the Los Angeles Chargers two weeks ago. Perhaps the Pro Bowler is starting to heat up at the right time?

On a night where very little went right for the Cardinals, Conner's performance was a godsend.

What went wrong

Injuries

For the Cardinals, nothing could've gone worse on Monday night than the injuries the team was dealt. It started off in just about the worst-case scenario possible with Kyler Murray going down with what is being described as a "serious" knee injury in the first quarter. From there it only got worse.

Zach Allen, who was already listed as questionable headed into the game, left with a left-hand injury. Allen would leave for the locker room and return to the sideline in street clothes and a cast on the hand.

Marco Wilson also got banged up during the game in what was only described as a "stinger." He was eventually ruled out of the game, as well.

Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game, and the Patriots suffered some as well, but they couldn't have hit the Cardinals any harder. If there was any hope for the rest of the 2022 season, it is likely gone thanks to injuries now.

Turnovers and negative plays

The Cardinals were in for a long night of body blows against the Patriots' defense, but the latter of the two played significantly better. The Patriots brought down Colt McCoy six times and made several plays in the backfield, as well. They also forced two turnovers, a Colt McCoy interception and a DeAndre Hopkins fumble, the latter of which was returned for a touchdown.

The Patriots' defenders were simply better than anything the Cardinals could muster up. Matthew Judon continues his Defensive Player of the Year-caliber season and several other stud defenders like Josh Uche had nights they'll remember for a long time.

You simply can't commit as many bad plays on offense and expect to win games and that's exactly the situation the Cardinals found themselves in on Monday night.

Losing stinks, but the way the Cardinals lost and the losses they endured via injury make this a night that fans will wish was all just a bad dream.