The Arizona Cardinals looked lost for three hours as they traveled to the Lakefront and put up one of their worst performances ever. Defensively, they weren’t terrible, and held the Cleveland Browns to just 326 yards on 71 plays, or just 4.59 yards per play.
The problem? Arizona managed just 58 yards of total offense and 17 passing yards on 48 plays, which equals just 1.2 yards per play. Not only was it one of the worst efforts by a Cardinals offense, but this may have been collectively one of the worst offensive performances in the last three decades.
But, when you are down nearly half your starters, there is little else to expect than a four-possession loss. The good news is that the Cards have nowhere to go but up, and a healthier offense will make that possible.
3 takeaways from Arizona Cardinals big loss against Browns
1 - Offense must get healthy
If the Arizona Cardinals have to suffer through another week of Clayton Tune, Tony Jones Jr., and Keaontay Ingram in the backfield, then they will probably be playing a road game at home next week. We all know how badly things went for Tune today but hey, at least he looked decent running the ball, racking up 28 yards on five carries.
Meanwhile, the backs who were supposed to run the ball combined for 10 rushing yards on 12 carries. Add Rondale Moore to the mix, and the Cards got 13 yards on 15 carries. We can all agree that James Conner and Emari Demercado would have fared much better, so the Redbirds should hope at least one of those two are returning for Week 10.
Michael Wilson is arguably this team’s best receiver next to Marquise Brown, and it would also be a big boost if he returns. But the biggest boost this team could get is if quarterback Kyler Murray returns and at least makes the offense somewhat worth watching next week.