Jacoby Brissett and the Arizona Cardinals struggled to move the ball in their 31-7 blowout loss to the defending Super Bowl champions. The Cardinals' veteran signal-caller completed 17-of-28 passes for just 95 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, resulting in a 63.8 passer rating.
This follows Brissett's Week 1 finish with the highest PFF grade at quarterback. One week after pulling off the biggest upset, the Cardinals lose their season opener against a Sam Darnold-less Seattle Seahawks team by 24.
While some of that is a testament to a near-flawless Seahawks defense, it also unfortunately highlights the Cardinals' ongoing struggles at the most important position in football. That's the life of a Cardinals fan these days, a situation that likely won't be resolved until the 2027 NFL Draft.
Cardinals still in dire need of a quarterback upgrade
It's not all grim in the desert, however. Arizona has actually played three strong halves to open the 2026 season, falling to the Seahawks only in the second half after a 7-7 tie. This 1-1 start has already shown Arizona has a strong rebuilding infrastructure and should be ready to hit the ground running when they ultimately land a long-term quarterback solution.
Despite the bad loss to Seattle, this legitimately feels like a new era in the Valley under first-year head coach Mike LaFleur. You could feel that excitement in the Cardinals debut for both LaFleur and rookie running back Jeremiyah Love, who led the way in the win over the Chargers with a touchdown run to open the game.
Unfortunately, some of that excitement came to a halt. The Cardinals got a reality check in Week 2, particularly in how far they still have to go in the NFC West to compete with the Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco 49ers.
This loss was further confirmation that Arizona remains the little brother in what is otherwise the strongest division in football by a wide margin. That will remain the case as long as Brissett is under center.
Arizona invested top-five draft picks in players like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Love, yet can't fully unlock those talents without a true starting-caliber quarterback. Brissett's limitations were on full display against this elite Seahawks defense, and things don't get much easier when looking around the rest of the division at the Rams and 49ers, either.
At least the Cardinals didn't add any additional years when they reworked Brissett's deal this offseason. As solid as he was against the Chargers, the equally bad loss to the Seahawks is exactly why this offense doesn't have a high enough floor with Brissett at quarterback going forward.
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