Couple of Arizona Cardinals done for season

The Arizona Cardinals sent two players to injured reserve on Saturday, ending the regular season for one and at least the regular season for the other

The talk this week about whether the Arizona Cardinals should keep Zane Gonzalez going forward has been put to rest, for at least the regular season. On Saturday, the team put him on injured reserve, ending his 2020 regular season.

Though Gonzalez could return if the team makes the playoffs, given how well Mike Nugent kicked last week, it is highly unlikely he will be seen again this season at all.  Gonzalez was previously ruled out for this week on Friday.

One other player who has no shot at returning is defensive lineman Jordan Phillips. His season ended for good on Saturday after being sent to the injured reserve for the second time this season. The first stint puts a player on the list for at least three weeks and a second ends your season per the 2020 rules.

Phillips definitely should return in 2021. He was a force during his time on the field. It was unfortunate he had to deal with injuries most of the season.

He played in just seven games this season. He ended with 2 sacks and 3 quarterback hits overall. He played in just 8 percent of defensive snaps last week in the victory over the New York Giants.

We’ve speculated and discussed Gonzalez at length this week so no need to re-hash all of that discussion.  That said though, it likely is a disappointing end to his time with the Cardinals after such a strong start.

Nugent will kick for the Cardinals on Sunday.  After that, it’s anyone’s best guess, however if he has another good day on Sunday, there’s no reason to believe he won’t be the kicker the rest of the season.