The Arizona Cardinals rebounded from a dismal first half to make things interesting, but ultimately fell 23-20 to their division rival Seattle Seahawks on a last-second field goal Thursday night.
In a season that has felt more dysfunctional than the team’s record would suggest, Arizona seemed to be on course to trot out its weakest performance of the year. They did roar back to life in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t quite enough for the second week in a row.
Some instant takeaways:
Instant Reaction: Cardinals Lose Close Game
The Cardinals simply looked completely out of sorts in the first half, but it wasn’t anything new. The defense played well, but had some hiccups. The offensive production was once again a glaring issue, compounding schematic issues with poor execution.
WR Marvin Harrison Jr. had his worst half of football yet, with two poor mistakes leading to interceptions early. But the Cardinals, unlike previous weeks, continued to go back to the fourth overall pick. Needing a pair of scores to tie the game, Harrison came down with two crucial Red Zone catches – one finding the end zone with a contested hands catch. His relieved reaction said nearly everything.
In a game that featured anything but execution up until the fourth quarter, the Cardinals found themselves in a unique position. This time, it was up to the offense to complete two quick scoring drives. Plays were made and a touchdown was scored, but the defense ultimately couldn’t hold Seattle out of field goal range.
Strangely, this game felt like an inversion of previous weeks. Rather than looking at a win and feeling sour about the path to said win, Thursday is a notch in the loss column that finally gives fans a reason to have a little hope in the offense — Harrison, Murray and all other involved parties.
But it certainly wasn’t a pretty overall performance. The general concerns about scheme, situational execution and the other lingering problems remain. In no way does a loss excuse those. But the Cardinals did not roll over once down big. An offense that has lacked explosivity all season did not fold when in crunch time. There was tempo, urgency and execution on both of the final two offensive drives — when it was needed most.
For the first time, Arizona was able to execute big plays in big moments. Kyler Murray scrambled for 29 yards. Harrison made his presence known. Michael Wilson made a one-handed snag on fourth down and Emari Demercado held on to the same touchdown pass he dropped a week ago.
Is it progress? Maybe, maybe not. But the offense (and execution) in the final two drives of Thursday’s game easily stands up anything seen in the prior three games.
