Arizona Cardinals make too many mistakes in loss to Ravens

The Arizona Cardinals had their chances on Sunday but couldn’t overcome errors

Granted, it was a much closer game than many anticipated, however the things that dogged the Arizona Cardinals in the preseason and in week one reared their ugly heads on Sunday.  The Baltimore Ravens gave the Cardinals chances to leave with victory.

Kyler Murray had a more balanced game on Sunday but with the lack of a running game, it was clear what the Cardinals intentions were on offense in the second half.  Penalties certainly didn’t help.

The Cardinals ran the ball 11 times.  They had 8 penalties, a couple of costly ones down the stretch in the fourth quarter.

Murray hung in there though.  He went 25-40 for 349-yards.  He did not throw a touchdown but did have a 2-point conversion to receiver Michael Crabtree who made his Cardinals debut on Sunday.

The Cardinals defense again though, had some strong moments but also had some serious meltdowns that kept the Ravens offense on the field.  First and foremost, it is nice the Cardinals don’t have to see Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson again until 2023.

Jackson went 24-37 for 272-yards and 2 touchdowns.  He killed the Cardinals on the ground though, scrambling his way out of sacks and losses time after time.  He ran for 120-yards on Sunday.

The Ravens overall rushed for 182-yards.  The Cardinals giving up 440-yards of offense to the Ravens is just plain unacceptable.  Doesn’t matter if the game is in Baltimore or Glendale, that will result in a loss most Sunday’s.

Now the Cardinals have to regroup and come back home for the next two weeks.  They face the 0-2 Carolina Panthers next Sunday at State Farm Stadium.  Then they host the 2-0 Seattle Seahawks the following Sunday.

Going 0-1-1 in the first two weeks doesn’t sound all too bad except it easily could be 2-0.  For a team no one outside of Arizona believes in and continues to bash nationally, it’s a tough pill to swallow.