Why Cardinals Fans Should be Encouraged After Week 1 Loss

It's hard to sell moral victories in the NFL - though the Arizona Cardinals shouldn't hang their heads too low after the 20-16 loss against the Washington Commanders.

The Cardinals - fresh off an offseason that saw the organization begin a massive rebuild - lost several key players from last season in hopes of setting themselves up nicely for the future. While cap space and draft capital is ample for 2024, that doesn't help them this season.

Combine all the above with Kyler Murray's absence as he still continues to rehab from a torn ACL, and you'll see why many believe Arizona will be picking atop the draft order next spring.

Heading into Week 1, the Cardinals were the second-largest underdogs (in terms of point spreads) in the league. A brand new coaching staff featuring first-timers at head coach and both coordinator positions didn't instill confidence in people in and out of the Arizona state boundaries.

Jonathan Gannon particularly has been the subject of talk through most of the offseason. A mixture of his oddly perceived player interactions/speeches and his (poor) attempt to conceal information for the sake of "competitive advantage" hasn't landed him in the clubhouse of guys such as Mike McDaniel/Sean McVay territory.

But Gannon didn't take the job in Arizona to be liked - he took it to win. And no matter what outside narrative exists about his team, he's going to coach the Cardinals to the best of his ability.

That's a promise he made at his introductory press conference: His players would play tough and push themselves for 60 minutes. As a coach, that's nearly all you can ask out of your players.

That was the case at FedEx Field, where the Cardinals had most of the football world on standby when they controlled a ball game not many gave them a chance to be in, holding on to the lead for the entire third quarter before ultimately blowing it.

NFL football is very cut and dry when it comes to results. For the Cardinals, Sunday wasn't acceptable. While Arizona's defense certainly played well enough, quarterback Josh Dobbs and company couldn't hold their end of the bargain on the offensive side of the ball.

Yet things felt different on Arizona's sideline. Players came out with energy and purpose, something that had been lacking during the downswing of Kliff Kingsbury's tenure in the desert. The Cardinals saw defensive players flying to the football and making plays while their offense looked as balanced as possible given the circumstances they were under.

As previously stated, Arizona is in the beginning stages of a rebuild. Gannon and his team won't - and shouldn't - be judged from wins and losses in 2023. Rather, it's important to see players respond to his leadership and develop over the course of the season.

We've heard all about the culture shock under Gannon. Players and coaches have touched on it frequently. Talk is cheap in the NFL, though in a one game sample size, it's clear this team is in a better place than it was the last time they took the field months ago in San Francisco.

It's unlikely the Cardinals shock the world and make a postseason run. Losses hurt too, even when you're expected to lose.

Fans in the red sea have to like the direction they're trending in for the future, however. Houses are built one brick at a time, and even in the midst of a loss, another brick was added to the foundation.

Have faith, Cardinals fans.