A season of ups and downs has ended on the down side for the Arizona Cardinals.
The team had lost its swagger after the Drew Stanton Knee injury three weeks ago. The Cardinals have not won a game since that injury, and now finish the year with a pretty embarrassing 27-16 lost to say the least to the 7-8-1 Carolina Panthers. The second week in a row the Cardinals offense has been shut out in the second half.
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In the end the Cards will hold an embarrassing record that gives them the fewest total yards gained on offense for an entire game at 78 yards.
This game was very winnable for the Redbirds but again their defense spent way too much time on the field, as the offense could only muster up eight first downs the entire game. That is three and out way to many times and the defense got wore down by the Panthers offensive line and running backs.
Nothing spectacular for Cam Newton other than he too hurt the Cards defense with his feet in crucial moments in the first half. The defense could not stop the Panthers running attack as they gave up close to 200 yards rushing to an opposing team three weeks straight.
Panthers started drive after drive past the Cards 40 yard line because of horrible special teams play. Punter Drew Butler averaged 32.7 yards a punt and could not pin the Panthers deep. Then kick returner Ted Ginn, (who has been a disappointment all year) gave the game totally away with a terrible decision to come out deep from his own end-zone.
Quarterback Ryan Lindley may have played his way out of the league, after a 16 of 28 for 82 yards and one touchdown and two interceptions. He looked like a fourth string signal caller on this day.
One thing stood out as this game went on, and that was Lindley starring down receivers all day and any defense will capitalize on that. Lindley failed to move the middle linebackers and deep safeties with his eyes and pretty much gave them the game in crunch time.
The playoffs are a different monster and an ok performance last week did not translate at all for the three year quarterback this week in Charlotte.
The run has come to an ugly conclusion and it’s very hard to get anything positive from this team’s performance the last three weeks of the season.
Much will be said of the possible end of star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald’s run as a Cardinal, and after that dreadful quarterbacking performance it’s no wonder his bags are not already packed.
This one will burn inside for a while after a promising 9-1 start, but we all knew at some point the injuries would catch up to them and third and fourth stringers will do exactly what they do, and that’s lose you games.
Expectations for next year will be high again and a lot of new facing will come and a few familiar faces will be on other teams, but all –in –all this was a pretty interesting season. One that has never been seen in NFL history of a team that battled and kept winning with key players going down each week.
Hats off to the 2014 Arizona Cardinals who could have easily packed it in back in week 10 after the Carson Palmer injury. Look forward to see how this team responds and gets itself better and go for another run next year.