Just one week after pulling off the biggest upset of Week 1, the Arizona Cardinals came back down to Earth in their home opener against the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks. Even playing at home against a Seattle team down signal caller Sam Darnold (glute), the Cardinals fell 31-7.
They went into half 7-7, largely looking like the team that pulled off the Week 1 upset against Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Unfortunately, the Cardinals' defense collapsed in the second half, unable to contain the growing connection between backup quarterback Drew Lock and superstar wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Lock was one of the most efficient quarterbacks of Week 2, completing 19 of 26 passing attempts for 235 yards and three touchdowns -- all of which Smith-Njigba was on the receiving end of.
The Cardinals' secondary had no answer for the NFL's reigning Offensive Player of the Year. They couldn't keep up with the defensive woes by turning the game into a shootout either, with Jacoby Brissett and Arizona's offense struggling to get anything going.
Head coach Mike LaFleur called the Seahawks defense the best in the league entering the contest, and they certainly looked the part with Brissett failing to generate even over 100 yards passing.
Cardinals just got put in their place in the NFC West
While the Week 1 upset was fun while it lasted, this blowout loss to a Darnold-less Seahawks team at home unfortunately served as a brutal reality check of where the rebuilding Cardinals stand in the NFC.
It's also fair to wonder whether their win over the Chargers is quite as impressive now; Los Angeles' struggles have continued into Week 2, as they surprisingly fell to veteran Kirk Cousins and AFC West divisional rival in the 2-0 Las Vegas Raiders.
Now, the 1-1 Cardinals have to look ahead to a Week 3 road matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, who are now 2-0 after a predictable blowout win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.
Outside of perhaps an improving New York Giants team, their schedule is absolutely brutal from now until November 22: @49ers, @Giants, Lions, @Rams, Broncos, @Cowboys, @Seahawks, Rams, @Chiefs. Yikes.
The reality check of this loss isn't the loss itself; it's how quickly the Cardinals are now falling in the stacked NFC West. Their roster flaws on both sides of the ball were prevalent in this blowout loss, and unfortunately more in tune with what Cardinals fans should expect going forward, as opposed to the win over the Chargers.
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