Many called for the Arizona Cardinals to make a switch at quarterback following their Week 5 blowout loss to the Detroit Lions. However, head coach Mike LaFleur held firm in his stance that Jacoby Brissett gives this team the best chance to win, adding that the quarterback isn't the problem for this team.
That comment and decision as a whole were vindicated in Week 6, where Arizona pulled off arguably the biggest upset the league has seen so far this season. The Cardinals entered SoFi Stadium as 12.5-point road underdogs, facing a tough divisional rival, the Los Angeles Rams, looking to bounce back after a brutal overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 5.
Instead, the Rams lost another nail-biter, this time off the foot of Chad Ryland. The Cardinals kicker was the sole source of offense in the red zone, contributing all 18 of the points scored in the 18-16 victory.
This defense under coordinator Nick Rallis was night-and-day better than the one we saw surrender a season-high 45 points to the Lions just last week. Brissett left something to be desired, finishing with 218 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. The fact that Arizona was able to win despite their lack of offensive production, particularly in the red zone, is actually encouraging about this team's long-term outlook.
Rams upset shows Jacoby Brissett was never the Cardinals’ real problem
LaFleur was right when he said they had a lot to clean up, and the problems go well beyond Brissett. While we don't want to overreact to one upset, especially after how disastrous Week 5 was, it does give Cardinals fans a sense of optimism that this rebuild is trending in the right direction. They're cleaning up everything else around Brissett, as LaFleur said, and it's making it easier to see the vision behind starting him for at least the time being.
The Cardinals are now 2-4 and somehow tied with the Rams for third in the NFC West. Realistically, it's only a matter of time before they officially fall out of the playoff picture, at which point they should turn to third-round rookie Carson Beck. Still, this Week 6 bounce-back win was significant, as it shows this team is legitimately competitive under Brissett and LaFleur. The results won't be a winning record, but the process is important for this rebuild in terms of helping establish more of a winning and respected culture.
It's going to be difficult for the Cardinals to turn this into a meaningful winning streak, with upcoming matchups against the Broncos, Cowboys, Seahawks, Rams, and Chiefs. Arizona's season trajectory could quickly come to a decline thanks to the difficulty of that upcoming schedule. At that point, it will be much harder to justify keeping Beck on the bench, as the Cardinals should prioritize the long-term outlook and use the remainder of the season as an evaluation and development period for their rookie.
LaFleur knows that it's ultimately in the best interest of this rebuild to continue playing the long game. But he also knows that the importance of Week 6 wins like the Rams can't be overstated.
This massive upset was just further confirmation that the Cardinals rebuild is in good hands with this new Mike LaFleur era. And it's time we start trusting his decisions more, specifically when it comes to quarterback. This was a head coach who knew Brissett wasn't the problem and identified the real issue, most notably cleaning up the defense with Rallis, and it resulted in yet another win at SoFi Stadium.
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