Arizona Cardinals vs 49ers preview: Four critical areas
By Chad Barrett
It’s Hard To Throw From Your Back
It’s no secret Josh Rosen hasn’t had an easy go of it. In the Cards recent loss to Denver, Rosen threw an interception, 2 pick sixes, had 2 fumbles, and was sacked six times. In his defense, at least one of those pick sixes and one interception wasn’t his fault, and the fumbles were due mostly to a total lack of protection from the offensive line (Rosen getting hit blind).
Unfortunately, that has been the story for the Cardinals most of the year – epic failure from the OL. Rosen is constantly under pressure and has very little time to throw, as evidenced by being sacked 12 times in his 4 starts. Things aren’t looking much better for Sunday, with one OL lineman (Vujnovich) out and offensive linemen Iupati and Pugh listed as “questionable” after having limited practice on Friday.
Plain and simple, the OL has to protect Rosen to give him a chance to do anything. Rosen has a great arm and can be accurate downfield; he just needs time to throw. Hopefully a better utilization of David Johnson will buy Rosen more time to complete longer and more accurate throws.
The “patchwork quilt” that is now the Card’s OL has to step up Sunday in a big way.