Raising Zona
FanSided

Arizona Cardinals: 5 players who must show improvement

By Scott Allen

DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 10: Chandler Jones #55 of the Arizona Cardinals celebrates a sack with Markus Golden #44 of the Arizona Cardinals durning the first half at Ford Field on September 10, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - SEPTEMBER 10: Chandler Jones #55 of the Arizona Cardinals celebrates a sack with Markus Golden #44 of the Arizona Cardinals durning the first half at Ford Field on September 10, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
DENVER, CO – AUGUST 31: Kicker Phil Dawson #4 of the Arizona Cardinals looks on from the sideline during a preseason NFL game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on August 31, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO – AUGUST 31: Kicker Phil Dawson #4 of the Arizona Cardinals looks on from the sideline during a preseason NFL game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on August 31, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Phil Dawson

It’s usually hard to be nit-picky about one missed field goal.  That was what we thought at the beginning of the 2016 season as well.

With one simple missed field goal by Dawson on Sunday, it brought all of the special teams issues the team had last season right back.  Fair or not to Dawson, that’s where we are at.

One of the biggest areas needing improvement in the offseason, started off the 2017 campaign the same way.  Three games last season were decided by missed field goals.

Dawson missed his 32-yard field goal in the second quarter of Sunday’s game.  This was after a made field goal was taken off the board due to a Lions penalty and the Cardinals kept the ball with a first down.

After the offense stalled, Dawson came in and clanked one off the goal post.  All a sudden, it was 2016 again.

I suspect we will see a lot of great kicks from Dawson over the course of the season.  Fans though need to see it now.  The Cardinals paid a lot of attention trying to improve here.  Now those players, like Dawson, need to prove the Cardinals made a good decision by bringing him in.

Home/Cardinals News