New wave Arizona Cardinals bail out a couple of stalwarts

Two Arizona Cardinals newcomers combined to wipe out a couple of late-game mistakes by Larry Fitzgerald and Patrick Peterson

In case you haven’t noticed Arizona Cardinals fans, there’s a changing of the guard with our football team. This past Sunday, two of the franchise’s greatest players committed a couple of blunders that could have cost the Cards an important victory. Only a miraculous play at the end of the matchup, by two members of the organization’s “new blood”, allowed the squad to avoid yet another heartbreaking defeat.

The “hail mary” pass from Kyler Murray to DeAndre Hopkins that gave Arizona a hard-fought 32-30 win over the Buffalo Bills will go down as one of the greatest plays in Cardinals history. Just seconds before, Bills quarterback Josh Allen had hit wide receiver Stefon Diggs with a touchdown pass that appeared to lift Buffalo to a 30-26 triumph. Even more depressing was the fact that it was Patrick Peterson, the Cards eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback, who was beaten by Diggs on the heart-wrenching connection.

It wasn’t the only miscue committed by Peterson during the incredibly competitive contest. The 30-year old veteran dropped not one, but two potential interceptions that originated from the arm of the much-improved Allen. Peterson did finally corral a pick late in the third quarter, but his three blatant mistakes had threatened to overshadow the impressive theft.

Peterson wasn’t the only Arizona legend who laid an egg during the all-important fourth quarter against the Bills. Leading 26-23 with 9:26 left in the game, Murray and the offense were working their way downfield to a potentially game-cementing score. And then disaster struck.

The historically-reliable Larry Fitzgerald attempted to haul in a 2nd down and 12 strike from Murray at the Buffalo 20-yard line. The pass was thrown a bit behind him, but the future Hall of Famer managed to get his precious hands on it anyway. On his way to the ground, however, Fitzgerald inexplicably tossed the ball up into the air and into the waiting hands of Bills safety Jordan Poyer.

While the interception would be charged to Murray, anyone who witnessed the play would likely agree that it was Fitzgerald’s fault. The Cards had committed an ill-timed turnover. Fitzgerald, one of the surest-handed pass-catchers of all time, was suddenly resembling a goat.

By the end of the afternoon, Murray and Hopkins had made everything right in Cardinals-ville. The pair’s best years are still ahead of them, while others like Fitzgerald and Peterson are now past their prime. It’s a simple case of out with the old, in with the new in the Arizona desert.