Early in the third quarter, the Arizona Cardinals had an opportunity to climb back within a field goal of the Detroit Lions in what had been a frustrating game.
Kyler Murray dropped back and threw a deep pass intended as a jump ball for Marvin Harrison Jr. in the end zone. The ball was underthrown, Harrison was behind the defender so he could never make a real play on the ball, and Kerby Joseph intercepted it.
The large screen at State Farm Stadium caught Murray’s reaction as he threw up his hands in disbelief.
“Probably not the right time to be doing it,” Murray said afterward.
It was that kind of day.
One week after everything seemed to go the Cardinals’ way in a 41-10 beatdown of the LA Rams, Arizona kept coming up a yard, a second, or a call short in a 20-13 loss to the Lions on Sunday that left them at 1-2.
The most notable among those shortcomings was this one.
Just before the two-minute warning, Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. appeared to catch a batted ball and return it for a touchdown that could have given the Cardinals a 14-13 lead. Instead, officials blew the play dead, ruling that Lions center Frank Ragnow had snapped the ball a fraction of a second after the clock hit the two-minute mark.
It was a highly questionable call when you watch this replay.
Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon was not happy with the call on the sideline but when asked about it afterward he said simply: “They call what they call,” adding that it held no lingering impact on the Cardinals’ emotional state.
The officials offered this explanation.
“We started killing the play by blowing the whistles,” referee Brad Rogers said. “I know the play started, but when we start blowing the whistle, it shuts it down. Some of the players were still going because they couldn’t hear our whistles, apparently, so it looks like there’s a part of the action that’s still moving and some of the action is stopping.”
It was pretty clear the Lions were playing to punt the ball after play resumed with them facing a third-and-12. Instead of getting the ball back, however, the Cardinals defense allowed a 14-yard run by Jahmyr Gibbs for a first down on a draw play.
Three plays later, Gibbs caught a 21-yard TD pass and the Lions had a 14-point swing of momentum based off a blown call and a blown opportunity by the Arizona defense.
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Arizona still had a chance to climb back in it even after Murray threw the aforementioned pick. Dennis Gardeck produced the defense’s first interception, putting the Cardinals in business at the Lions’ 33-yard line, trailing 20-10.
But Murray came up just short on a fourth-and-1 run that Detroit challenged to overturn the initial call of a first down.
And with a chance to get the ball back late in the game, trailing 20-13, the Cardinals allowed Detroit to convert a third-and-12 to run out the clock.
Two more blown opportunities.
“We just didn’t make plays,” Murray said. “Last week we executed. This week we didn’t execute when it was needed.”
When Gannon reached the podium in the interview room after the game, it was clear that the energy and frustration of the game were still coursing through his veins like the espresso shots he likes to throw down on practice days.
Gannon acknowledged the litany of missed chances. He took the blame for the loss, insisting that the coaching staff needed to construct a better game plan against the Lions stout defensive front — especially because his own defense had rallied to shut the door in the second half.
But Gannon couldn’t help noting something that he hopes is apparent to those with a dose of perspective. His team is making progress. This isn’t the 4-13 team that we saw a year ago in the first season of GM Onti Ossenfort’s rebuild, even if it still exhibits many flaws.
“We were resilient, which I’m enthused about, and which I told them,” he said. “If we keep playing like that and clean up some mistakes, we’ll get back on track.”
That’s still the important message for a fanbase starved for success. When you looked at the Cardinals’ first-half schedule at the beginning of the season, a 4-4 record through eight games seemed like a good goal to set. Arizona can be 2-2 with a win over a much lesser opponent coming to town next week in the Washington Commanders.
Just as easily as the Cardinals wiped away the sting of a season-opening loss in Buffalo by throttling the Rams, they can do the same with a win against Washington.
Murray wasn’t interested in talking about moral victories after the game, but on a team with clear deficiencies and injuries in the defensive front seven, and on a team that was down to its fourth-string (arguably fifth) right tackle by the time Sunday’s game concluded, he also sees progress and opportunity.
“I’m encouraged because I know what could have been in that game,” Murray said. “I know what things didn’t go our way, but I’m excited because of the opportunity out there.
“That’s a good football team and I felt like we had a lot of opportunities to make something happen and win that game. They made more plays than us, but that’s how it goes. I’m excited for the road ahead.”
Top photo via Getty Images
