What Went Right/Wrong in Arizona Cardinals' Heartbreaking Loss to Eagles
That was a tough, tough loss for the Arizona Cardinals. It might've been the most disappointing game the team has played all season.
The Cardinals were a few yards to the left away from taking the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles team to overtime.
Alas, Arizona couldn't come in clutch when it mattered most. 'Tis been the story of these 2022 Cardinals through five games this season.
As always, there were still some positives to take out of this game, and that's what were here to focus on today. Here's what went right, and what went wrong, in the Cardinals' 20-17 loss to the now 5-0 Eagles.
What went right:
Balanced offense
The Cardinals' offense was moving the ball well for the most part against a very good Philadelphia defense. The Eagles came in with the third-best defense in yards allowed per game with 277.3 and Arizona toppled 363, which was six more yards than the Eagles tallied.
The Cardinals also found the end zone a couple of times and kept the game close throughout. They were actually down 14-0 at one point before eventually knotting the game at 17. A last-minute field goal by Cameron Dicker was the final nail in the coffin for this game, but Arizona played a tight one thanks to its offense.
Stout defense
Alternatively, the Cardinals defense also stepped up to the occasion. The Eagles were averaging 435.5 yards per game (second in the league) and the defense held them to 357.
Sure, that's still a hefty amount of yards, but that's nearly 80 fewer than they average this year and it's part of the reason why they kept Philly under 24-points for the first time in 2022.
It was far from a perfect performance, but Vance Joesph crafted a solid game plan to slow down this high-powered Eagles offense.
Playmakers on offense
Even after James Conner went down, the Cardinals' offensive weapons stood out, and had excellent games.
Marquise Brown caught eight of his ten passes for 78-yards, but he did have an ugly drop that could've ended as a huge gain. Hollywood did find himself in the endzone for the third time this season, and it was a beautiful play.
Eno Benjamin also played well in relief of Conner, tallying 25 rushing yards and 28 receiving yards (53 scrimmage yards) on 11 touches. Benjamin also found the endzone for his first score of the season. If Conner is out for a while, Benjamin showed he can be reliable, but not spectacular.
The offense also finally found a way to get Rondale Moore effective touches. It started off the way it always seems to with cute end-arounds that wind up in tackles for loss.
However, eventually, Moore was able to get into space and had one of the finer games of his career. Moore brought in seven receptions (eight targets) for 68-yards including a 28-yard long. It's incredible how explosive a talent like Moore can be when you allow him to work in space instead of trying to manufacture it.
What went wrong
First-quarter struggles continue
When will it end...
One has to think that eventually, the Cardinals have to be able to put up points in the first quarter of a game in 2022. However, that game would not be against Philadelphia.
The Cardinals have now played five consecutive games with the inability to score points in the first 15 minutes of the game. It absolutely has contributed to the team's 2-3 record and they were nearly 1-4 prior to an insane comeback against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2.
You'd think this kind of consistency would be unsustainable, but here it is happening anyways.
Clutch moments missed
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. That's how the saying goes at least. That has yet to be consistently true for the Cardinals in 2022.
The team kept its foot on the Carolina Panthers' throat in week four and had that aforementioned crazy comeback against the Raiders, but beyond that, these three losses have been winnable contests.
The Kansas City Chiefs waltzed on this team, but they lost to the Los Angeles Rams and Eagles by a combined 11 points. All three of these losses have been at home, too.
In this instance, the defense couldn't get any stops when it mattered most. Despite a rather complete performance, you need those key stops to win games and they weren't there today.
And then you have the missed field goal... with absolutely no hatred being spewed at the young kicker, Matt Ammendola is simply not cut out for the big moments the NFL requires of you. Ammendola was shanking kicks in pregame practice and it was no different with the game on the line. Wide right.
You simply cannot expect to compete if you can't close out close games, and the Cardinals' inability to do this continues to plague them. This was a winnable game against an undefeated opponent, but they couldn't get a stop on defense or tie the game on a field goal.
That's as crushing as it gets.
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