The Arizona Cardinals defense looked as though it could not stop Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud in the first half, but they did a phenomenal job of shutting him and the offense down in the game’s final 30 minutes. But if someone struggled for the entire game, it was none other than cornerback Marco Wilson, who was miserable all game long. Want further proof? Check out the following quote from Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.
"“Stock down after the loss: CB Marco Wilson. He was targeted 11 times and gave up eight passes for a total of 145 yards -- an average of 18.1 per catch -- and two touchdowns..”"Josh Weinfuss
Source: NFL 2023 Week 11: Biggest questions, risers and takeaways, by NFL Nation, ESPN
Yeah, while the Cards clearly found a solid corner in Garrett Williams, so much that quarterbacks already dislike throwing his way, the downside is, they won’t stop picking on Wilson. And why would they, considering the results just about every quarterback the Cardinals faced have enjoyed throwing on the guy?
After 11 games, there are no words to express how terrible Wilson has been, and you have to ask yourself: How many more chances will head coach Jonathan Gannon give him?
Arizona Cardinals have to keep Marco Wilson off the field
Heading into the Cardinals Week 11 matchup, Wilson ranked 102nd out of 109 qualified corners on PFF with a grade of 45.6. Opposing quarterbacks notched a passer rating of 130.5, and Wilson allowed 13.7 yards per completion.
But wait, it gets worse when you head over to Pro-Football-Reference, which has Wilson averaging even more yards allowed per completion than PFF, at 14.9, along with 11.2 yards per target. They also have him listed (before today’s game against Houston) as having allowed 39 completions on 52 targets, with a 75.0 completion percentage, and three touchdowns allowed.
It’s true the Arizona Cardinals are thin at corner, but you have to ask whether Wilson is actively hurting this defense. And with the answer being a likely yes, then he’s a liability that needs to be benched. This isn’t to say Kei’Trel Clark, Antonio Hamilton, or Starling Thomas will fare any better, but it’s clear that Wilson is not the answer, so bench him and give someone else a chance.
(Statistics and grades provided by PFF )