So much for the Arizona Cardinals being a run-first offense, but even at halftime, when the score was still a manageable 21-8, the Cards could have at least attempted to control the game by running the ball. And running backs James Conner and Emari Demercado were collectively averaging close to 5.0 yards per carry, so it was plausible.
But nope, as the final tally showed us, the Cards threw the ball 45 times and ran it just 15 times, or a 3:1 pass-to-run ratio. And this doesn’t include the four times the Rams sacked Kyler Murray.
It was this way even before the end of the first half, so it’s not like the staggering ratio was a product of garbage time. This is a team that has no identity, even as we were led to believe they would be a run-first unit in an offense tailored around Murray. Instead, it’s as though Kliff Kingsbury returned to the desert and is telling offensive coordinator Drew Petzing which plays to call while Murray once again showed us why he may not be the answer.
3 major takeaways following Arizona Cardinals blowout loss to Rams
1 - Marquise Brown is overrated
Marquise Brown had 12 targets and caught six of them for 88 yards. A good number on the surface, especially when you account for the 14.7 yards per catch that Brown snagged, but then again, a good chunk of it came in the fourth quarter when the Arizona Cardinals were down by four possessions.
Overall, 48 of his 88 yards came in the final eight minutes of the contest, so that should tell you a lot about just how badly things have gone for Brown this season. And now, there is no questioning it: The guy isn’t getting an extension, and he’s yet another reminder of just how poor of a general manager Steve Keim was, giving up a first-round pick for the overrated receiver.