Limiting Turnovers Key For Cards Against Seahawks
By Scott Allen
We all remember what happened last time the Arizona Cardinals faced the Seattle Seahawks up in Seattle a couple of weeks ago. The Cards turned the ball over five times. That's right, five times! Of course predictably they lost, 22-10. You can't turn the ball over and expect to win, bottom line.
The Cards only turned the ball over once on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings and that was on an interception return. The offense held onto the ball on Sunday. Cards quarterback Derek Anderson did get lucky and almost had one pass picked off only to have it hit the ground, however for the most part, Anderson kept the Cards in the game. Clearly, the 24-10 lead with just over four minutes left proves it's all about the turnovers. Lack of turnovers had the Cards on the verge of the upset on Sunday. Only a better Vikings offense led by quarterback Brett Favre kept the Cards from improving to 4-4 instead of dropping to 3-5.
With the Cards at home this Sunday, there is a good chance they can continue to hold on to the ball. With the Hawks being outscored 74-10 over the past two games since the Arizona game, it's a no-brainer how they managed to score 22 on the Cards. If the Cards eliminated just three of those costly turnovers against Seattle, they would have only managed a couple of field goals at best, which is more the speed of the Hawks offense this season.
Cards running back Tim Hightower is going to need to continue to hold onto the ball like he did against the Vikings. The Cards can't afford to see a long drive killed by a Hightower turnover. When Hightower fumbled in the game up in Seattle, the Cards were having their best drive of the game up to that point. Nothing kills a team more than a turnover.
Even with the lack of turnovers last Sunday, the Cards are still leading the NFL in turnovers. That is simply unacceptable, even in the NFC West. Even the Seattle Seahawks will beat you if you hand them the ball. I say give a team enough chances, in today's NFL, they will eventually make you pay, no matter who they are.