The Arizona Cardinals lost for the 12th time this season, falling by a score of 26-19 to the Atlanta Falcons in front of a thin home crowd at State Farm Stadium. Arizona’s overall effort was a mixed bag, but injuries truly began to pile up as a brutal season continued trending in a dismal direction. With two games remaining (one against a Los Angeles Rams team desperate to win the division), there’s little hope to see another game in the win column this season.
Arizona did finally play a close game for the first time in multiple weeks. Although it did come down to the final drive, it was another game that felt ugly, disjointed and tough to watch. While injuries have been pointed to as a culprit of this particularly poor season, Sunday’s bout of maladies may carry impact into 2026.
Cardinals Get Banged up in Ugly Game
The Cardinals’ offense was able to run the ball better than most efforts this season. For what felt like the first time in many weeks, Arizona put up 100-plus yards on the ground. A combination of Michael Carter, Corey Kiner and Emari Demercado were finally able to find some running room, combining for 127 yards on 22 carries — a rate of just over 5.7 yards per carry.
Unfortunately, the passing attack that has been quite lethal in terms of overall volume production was nearly silent. QB Jacoby Brissett struggled, managing to complete just 16 of his 31 passes for 203 yards and one score. There were some key drops, but Brissett’s accuracy felt erratic.
TE trey McBride was held to just 27 yards on four receptions, and the Cardinals’ leading receiver was backup TE Elijah Higgins.
Defensively, Arizona managed two turnovers. Their defensive front was able to get pressure on an immobile Kirk Cousins. DL Darius Robinson had an excellent game with seven tackles, a TFL and a fumble recovery. CB Will Johnson locked up Falcons WR Drake London one-on-one. In some ways, it might have been considered a mild bounce-back performance — if not for the fact that star RB Bijan Robinson collected 168 total yards and a touchdown.
It was the type of effort one can expect from a team that has now lost seven straight. While the final score was ultimately close, it never felt that the Cardinals — after holding a 16-10 lead late in the first half — had a chance to put together enough offense to stay ahead of Atlanta.
But the most brutal reality of Sunday’s game is a tough one to accept. In a game that meant nothing in terms of standings or the playoff picture, Arizona lost multiple high-level contributors to injury.
OLB Josh Sweat was helped off the field with an ankle injury. C Hjalte Froholdt suffered an elbow injury. Even the ironclad Budda Baker had to exit the game for a concussion evaluation, though he did eventually return.
But two of the Cardinals’ biggest defensive contributors suffered more concerning injuries. CB Garrett Williams left the game after a non-contact incident, and was quickly ruled out with an achilles injury — words that ring ominous to his availability next season. And DL Walter Nolen III, who had not struggled with injuries in his football career prior to 2025, left on the cart, visibly emotional with a knee injury.
It’s one thing to lose games. In fact, many would likely prefer to see the Cardinals’ draft stock increase. But to watch some of the more promising players on this defense leave with injuries of the non-contact variety is, somehow, the only way to make this brutal season a worse experience for loyal Cardinals fans.
