Arizona Cardinals: The injury bug strikes again
By Scott Allen
Not even in a 23-0 victory over the New York Giants were the Arizona Cardinals immune from losing another player to a huge injury
Thank God the 2017 season is ending for the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. They lost another starter to injury.
Safety Antoine Bethea, whose two interceptions on Sunday against the New York Giants gave him a team-leading five on the season, has a torn pec. Surgery may be required.
The good news is that this will be the only game Bethea misses. Hopefully it won’t be an issue down the road as the team prepares for the 2018 season.
It is disappointing we won’t get to see what Bethea can do up north this Sunday. We can also be thankful this team is still not in a position for a playoff spot either. Who would they have left?
It is a testament to this team for being 7-8 even after all of the injuries. The defense can mostly be thanked for that.
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Now the question is will Bethea be back next season? Some believe he is too old and the Cardinals need to get younger, despite the production Bethea has put out this season.
In addition to his five interceptions, Bethea had a total of nine passes defense, 57 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. Not too bad for a guy who is 33 and signed as a free agent in the last offseason.
Bethea became the 16th player to go on injured reserve this season for the Cardinals. It has been epidemic much like it was for the team in 2014 and 2016.
In order to replace Bethea’s spot on the 53-man roster, the Cardinals promoted linebacker Edward Robinson from the practice squad.
That move may help the depth at linebacker with Josh Bynes hobbling. Bynes missed the game against the Giants. The team will return to practice on Wednesday in preparation for their final game of the year on Sunday.