TEMPE, Ariz. — It is 100% safe to say that the Cardinals shot themselves in the foot one too many times in their 41–22 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The team was penalized 17 times on top of the three turnovers that they committed.
In an interview with Cronkite News, head coach Jonathan Gannon expressed his disappointment in the self-inflicted wounds committed by the team and said that he would ensure play as sloppy as that doesn’t happen again.
“I come to work and do the best job I can and try to get our team in a position to win a game,” Gannon said. “We educate, we point out, we coach it, and we gotta take it to the grass.”
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett managed to throw for a career-high 452 yards while completing an NFL-record 47 passes. He did throw a pair of bad interceptions, but his ability to sling the ball downfield truly flashed the offense’s full potential.
In a way, his play opened the door for Michael Wilson, who stepped into the No. 1 wide receiver role in the absence of Marvin Harrison Jr., who, as we mentioned before, underwent an appendectomy. On 18 targets, Wilson hauled in 15 of them for 185 yards, a huge step forward for the 25-year-old out of Stanford.
Arizona also saw rookie linebacker Cody Simon put up his best performance in the pros. The 23-year-old recorded 12 total tackles (4 solo, 8 assisted).
All we’re saying is imagine how this team would look if they cleaned up the unforced errors (penalties). Both sides of the ball were missing key starters, and if the team were able to click, they could make a case for 2026 as one of the more exciting teams with youth to look forward to.
It’s great to see Gannon holding his players accountable.