Arizona Cardinals earn franchise defining win in beatdown of Browns

In case you haven’t noticed, these ain’t your grand-daddy’s suddenly 6-0 Arizona Cardinals.

Facing near impossible circumstances, which included the absence of their head coach, Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals traveled to Cleveland and put an absolute whooping on the previously favored Browns by the final score of 37-14.

“It’s been a rough week…losing our head coach and losing a couple guys to COVID,” said defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. “Our team leaders were great all week. No one wavered…no one blinked. Everyday it was bad news and no one blinked.”

Sans numerous offensive coaches and players alike thanks to a recent team outbreak of COVID-19, what remained of the Redbirds took it to Cleveland in a performance not seen by this franchise during the Michael Bidwill era. It’s not hyperbole to suggest that this was one of, if not the most impressive regular season win since the Cardinals relocated to the desert back in 1988.

The Browns, coming off a heart-breaker against the Chargers, were favored by as many as 3.5 and are generally thought of as one of the most complete teams in football. They boast perhaps the league’s best rushing attack combined with lights out defense led by All Pro Myles Garrett.

Yet if you watched the Cardinals’ four quarter thrashing of Cleveland, you saw a team travel out west that out-rushed and out-sacked the Browns in their own building. Without Chandler Jones, who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week, J.J. Watt led an Arizona front seven that was absolutely relentlessly in their pursuit of Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Watt, Markus Golden and Jordan Hicks combined for five sacks on the afternoon as the Vance Joseph led unit also forced three turnovers in dominant fashion. After surrendering 14 points in the first half, one of which included a heartbreaking Hail Mary, the Cardinals shutout Cleveland in the final two quarters of play.

The much-maligned Joseph has Arizona’s defense playing it’s best football in years, while also providing the much needed leadership on the sidelines due to the absence of head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

“Kliff’s entire life and lifestyle is for this team. He’s there at 4:45am in the morning and leaves at 9pm…he doesn’t go anywhere and yet he pops positive for COVID,” said Joseph.

“Everyone felt for him.”

While the Cardinal defense continues to turn heads, Arizona’s offense quietly put together touchdown drives in all four quarters of play. With play-calling duties split between Sean Kugler (run) and Spencer Whipple (pass), the Big Red carved up Cleveland for over 350 yards of total offense which included a sparkling 8-for-15 on third down.

Despite his absence, Kingsbury’s fingerprints were all over Sunday’s game plan as the Cardinals flexed their coaching muscles, exposing the Browns in the process.

“This staff is amazing. It’s a great football staff. It’s our third year all together…that helps…having continuity like this. We didn’t miss a beat offensively,” said Joseph.

Kyler Murray put together his third consecutive performance without a turnover, as the MVP contender throttled the Browns secondary with four passing touchdowns to three different targets. Murray, who had been nursing a sore throwing shoulder, thoroughly outplayed former Oklahoma teammate Baker Mayfield in the “battle of number one picks”.

It’s difficult to properly measure the significance of Sunday’s performance for a Cardinals franchise that is still searching for their first post season appearance since 2015. Prior to the season, Arizona was universally considered the fourth best team in their own division, yet now sit atop the NFL landscape as the last remaining unbeaten team. In the process, the Cardinals have knocked off three playoff teams from a year ago (Tennessee, LA, Cleveland) while owning double digit win totals in all but two outings.

For Arizona to perform like this out east while simultaneously battling so many competing factors represents the truest example of the culture shift that has taken place inside the Cardinal organization.

Players like Kyler Murray and J.J. Watt are consistently willing this team to victory, regardless of the circumstances. So often it’s been the opposite with this Arizona franchise, as players were routinely sucked into a losing mindset that had become the norm. Rather than excuse making, the Cardinals are asserting their will on opponents while simultaneously raising their individual game to match the greatness of their star players.

The winning mindset that has overtaken this Arizona Cardinal organization has seemingly happened overnight yet is welcomed all the same.

There is no better player to encapsulate Sunday’s win than Watt, who said it best post game.

“No excuses. No bullshit. We just find a way to win.”

Quick Hits

• With each passing week, the Arizona Cardinals’ pursuit and recruitment of J.J. Watt is looking like the best singular offseason move for any NFL team. Watt’s presence on and off the field cannot be quantified, as the future Hall of Famer has completely transformed the physical makeup of this Cardinal team.
• To no ones surprise, during his post game presser, Vance Joseph took complete ownership of the miscommunication that led to the Cleveland Hail Mary that ended the first half. Joseph mentioned that he should have had Arizona in “victory formation” and the Browns took advantage of the team’s “little corners”.
• Vance Joseph called the defensive line mix and match a “wash” with the abrupt exit of Zach Allen and Corey Peters followed by the insertion of Jordan Phillips. Phillips, who has largely disappointed during his time with the club, flashed throughout Sunday’s game especially against the run. His emergence could jolt a suddenly thin Cardinal defensive line.
• Following his two sack performance, Markus Golden continues to be one of the most underrated players in the NFL. After signing a modest two-year extension with the team this past offseason, the former second round pick is currently on pace for 11 sacks this season. His hustle strip sack of Baker Mayfield was an early tone setter for the entire club.
• Sunday marked the first time all season that DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green and Christian Kirk each caught touchdown passes in the same game. Hopkins, who netted two scores, has been virtually unguardable each of the last two weeks.
• For the second consecutive week, when it was crunch time in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals leaned on running back James Conner to put the opposition away. The former Steeler has been a godsend for Arizona, especially between the tackles, as Conner is routinely able to manufacture tough yards after contact. Against a very stout Cleveland front, the veteran netted 71 yards, 40 of which game on a pivotal fourth quarter drive that ate up over seven minutes of clock.
• Outside of a couple miscommunications with Kyler Murray, Max Garcia filled in admirably for the injured Rodney Hudson at center. Throughout the duration of the game, Murray faced minimal interior pressure while Garcia was seen pancaking defenders on numerous occasions. Garcia has proven to be a vital chess piece upfront for offensive line coach Sean Kugler.
• With the exception of Baltimore’s Justin Tucker, there isn’t a better kicker going right now than Matt Prater. Against the wind, Prater was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, one of which was from 51-yards out.
• Newly acquired tight end Zach Ertz was inactive but present on the sideline for the team’s win against Cleveland. Backup Darrell Daniels saw the lone target at the position Sunday, with Ertz expecting to have an immediate role in Week 7.
• The Arizona Cardinals open up as an unprecedented 17-point home favorite against the 1-5 Houston Texans next Sunday at State Farm Stadium.