Three Bright Spots in Cardinals' Loss to Chiefs

GLENDALE -- That was an effort the Arizona Cardinals hope to forget, and very soon at that.

The feeling of "what just happened?" by Cardinals fans around State Farm Stadium after a 44-21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs still resonates as this is typed in the press box.

Sure, the Cardinals were likely underdogs in this fight no matter how you cut it, yet Kansas City looked like a superior team capable of pushing for another Super Bowl title.

Arizona looked as if they would be getting a jump start on their college scouting sooner rather than later for next year's draft.

16 games are still to be played, and it's an incredibly long season. Let Cardinals fans not forget that momentum towards the end of the year is a very real thing.

The one question Arizona fans have after 60 minutes of football: Will they even get that opportunity?

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury described himself as a positive guy through practice this week, and they'll need some of that moving forward as they look to forget this loss rather quickly.

Believe it or not, it wasn't all bad for Arizona in that loss, although bright spots were hard to spot at times.

Here's three bright spots in the Cardinals' opening loss to Kansas City:

WR Greg Dortch

After Rondale Moore was ruled out, it was up to either Greg Dortch or Andy Isabella to fill that void.

Dortch's profile was able to align more with what Kingsbury likes to do with Moore, and thus he saw majority of the action.

That turned out to be the right call.

Dortch paced the Cardinals in targets (9), receptions (7) and yards (63) during Sunday's loss, producing above names such as A.J. Green and Marquise Brown.

Dortch consistently proved himself to be reliable when Kyler Murray targeted him, and that should bode well for depth if Moore needs more time with his hamstring injury.

He was a fan favorite throughout camp, and after the initial taste in action, it's clear Dortch is capable of filling whatever void is needed.

WR Marquise Brown

Sticking with pass-catchers here, the duo of Murray-Brown was expected to do damage across the league thanks to their impactful time together at Oklahoma.

Although Brown didn't truly step into the No. 1 receiver role on Sunday as far as production goes, he did flash some of the abilities Arizona saw when they initially acquired him during the 2022 NFL Draft.

Kyler Murray connects with Marquise Brown for the 26 YD pickup 👌pic.twitter.com/cijp9SPMaZ
— Cardinals Nation (@CardsNationCP) September 11, 2022

Brown did manage to find the end zone for Arizona, being the only receiver to do so.

Marquise Brown dives to make the grab on fourth & goal❗️#BirdCityFootball

pic.twitter.com/rez4RuYZvo
— TWSN (@TWSN___) September 11, 2022

The QB-WR duo didn't get much time to gel on the field prior to Sunday, and it's clear that some time is still needed before they can return to their glory days as a pair.

However, Brown managed to find himself in the right spots at the right time. Murray and Brown nearly connected on a deep ball, but Brown was unable to reel in the over-the-shoulder catch. He finished with four receptions for 43 yards along with the score.

We'll see how the partnership grows, but there's a lot to like about Hollywood in the desert.

RB James Conner

Perhaps the brightest spot of the night belongs to James Conner, who suffered a tad from Arizona's early deficit when it came to his rushing numbers.

Conner did manage to return to the end zone, continuing the impressive nose for scoring he displayed last season.

Nose for the endzone.@JamesConner_ x #BirdCityFootball pic.twitter.com/xXJF2WY6oc
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 11, 2022

It was more in the passing game where he stuffed the stat sheet, reeling in five of his six targets for a total of 29 yards.

Overall, a first glance at the box score may not look all that exciting. Yet watching Conner stiff-arm defenders and fight for extra yardage when called upon (especially given his offensive line) was encouraging, especially after concerns about him staying healthy for a full season.

When Arizona finally gets clicking on offense, that should open up even more for Conner.

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WR Greg Dortch

WR Marquise Brown

RB James Conner

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