Arizona Cardinals seeking bounceback performance this Sunday

The Arizona Cardinals will attempt to move on from a dreadful performance when they meet the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend

For most of the current campaign, the Arizona Cardinals have managed to stay competitive. The squad has improved dramatically from last season, when they were blown out on several occasions. More victories would’ve been appreciated, but remaining interested in this year’s Cardinals has not been a problem for the team’s fans.

Last Sunday’s performance, however, may have quite possibly turned off some of the Cards loyalists. It was incredibly difficult not to bail on the club during the 34-7 shellacking they took from the Los Angeles Rams. The performance was Arizona’s ugliest of 2019, and is one that head coach Kliff Kingsbury and his players are hoping will never be repeated.

The Cardinals first opportunity to erase that outing from the memory bank is just a few days away. This weekend’s opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers, will have a great deal to play for. The “Black and Gold” are the owners of a 7-5 record, and are right in the thick of the AFC playoff picture.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has done a magnificent coaching job, given the fact that the organization has been ravaged by injuries. During a week two defeat to the Seattle Seahawks, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hurt his elbow, and would have season-ending surgery the following week. Nevertheless, Tomlin has somehow kept Pittsburgh in contention with inexperienced signal-callers like Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges leading the offense.

Roethlisberger isn’t the only component that has been missing from the scoring attack. Running back James Conner, who took over for the departed Le’Veon Bell, has missed four matchups. JuJu Smith-Schuster, who replaced Antonio Brown as the Steelers top wide receiver, has sat out the last two contests.

A tremendous Pittsburgh defensive unit has helped to mask the offensive deficiencies. Coordinator Keith Butler is presiding over a group that currently ranks 5th-overall in the NFL. Rookie Devin Bush leads the Steelers in tackles with 86, and edge rusher T.J. Watt‘s 12.5 sacks are the most in the AFC.

It’s quite obvious that another tough assignment lies ahead for the Cards. There’s a good possibility that the Redbirds lost confidence after last week’s thumping from the Rams. Beating a Pittsburgh squad that is fighting for a postseason berth would be a fine way to get some of that confidence back.