The Arizona Cardinals made a lot of mistakes on Sunday but managed to come away with victory
Who are the 2016 Arizona Cardinals? It is a question many are still asking themselves after a mistake-plagued game on Sunday, which resulted in a 23-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer was able to move the ball at times but his two interceptions almost cost them a chance at a season sweep of their division-rival. He threw just one touchdown on 30-49 for 376 yards.
The running game never got going for the Cardinals on Sunday. Running back David Johnson carried the ball 190 times for only 55 yards. The 49ers coming into this game had given up eight consecutive 100-yard rushing games to opposing backs.
The turnovers were the story though. The Cardinals turned the ball over four times, twice in the air and two fumbles, one each by Palmer and receiver J.J. Nelson.
Nelson had a tough day. He not only fumbled but he also should have caught one of Palmer’s interceptions. Both turnovers allowed the 49ers to stay in the game.
Give the 49ers some credit as well. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick wasn’t a superstar by any stretch of the imagination, however he protected the ball, not turning the ball over.
More from Raising Zona
- Arizona Cardinals: Could Eric Bieniemy come to the desert?
- Would Jonathan Gannon be a good fit for the Arizona Cardinals?
- Arizona Cardinals: Budda Baker right in his take regarding the next coach
- Arizona Cardinals: 3 reasons new coach should want to work with Murray
- Arizona Cardinals special teams could be completely revamped in 2023
The Cardinals only gave up two sacks on Sunday as opposed to the eight they gave up two weeks ago in Carolina. That is an improvement.
The Cardinals defense sacked Kaepernick three times, including twice by linebacker Chandler Jones. The secondary struggled a bit. 49ers receiver Jeremy Kerley was wide open on his touchdown reception.
The 49ers offense also out-rushed the Cardinals 83-80.; For some reason the Cardinals decided to throw the ball 49 times. After the game coach Bruce Arians indicated they were stacking the line but it had to be more than that. The line couldn’t create any holes.
Now the Cardinals go on the road for two straight games in Minnesota and Atlanta. They have a lot of work to do if they want to come out of either one of those cities with a win. Based on Sunday’s performance, the Cardinals should just forget about any playoff talk and get themselves corrected in all phases of the game.