The Arizona Cardinals took an early 3–0 lead over the Atlanta Falcons thanks to the incredible field position they were gifted on the opening kickoff. You may be wondering, how were they able to get that field position to begin with?
On the opening kickoff, Atlanta’s Zane Gonzalez kicked a short, screaming line drive kick that fell short of something called the “landing zone.” Because of this error, the Falcons were penalized, and the ball was spotted at Arizona’s own 40-yard line.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett and the Arizona offense benefited from amazing field position, which started with an incomplete pass intended for Trey McBride. However, two plays later, Brissett was able to find Elijah Higgins on a 17-yard catch, which put the Cardinals into Atlanta territory.
The Cardinals were able to gain eight more yards at the hands of running back Michael Carter, who is filling in as the team’s No. 1 running back for the remainder of the season, before the drive stalled at the Falcons’ 31-yard line. From there, the Cardinals capitalized on a 50-yard field goal at the foot of kicker Chad Ryland.
While it would have been nice for the Cardinals to do more damage after getting such positive field position, it is always nice to at least have points at the end of the drive, and Ryland did just that.
Both the Falcons and Cardinals are long eliminated from playoff contention, and all signs point to Sunday’s matchup being a carefree game from both teams. On top of that, both teams are seeing the returns of their top pass catchers, as Drake London (Atlanta) and Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona) both return to the field after missing extensive amounts of time.
We will keep you updated on what goes down as the game rolls on. But for now, it is a 3–0 Arizona lead after capitalizing on a field goal.