Sans James Conner and Zach Ertz, the Arizona Cardinals toiled through a dismal performance offensively, and it ended up being the difference-maker in today’s loss to the Washington Commanders. The defense stifled Washington to just 248 total yards, and just 4 for 12 in third down conversions.
We knew Commanders quarterback Sam Howell was going to make mistakes, but we didn’t know that the Cards would capitalize on nearly every single one of them. Dennis Gardeck’s strip sack that Cameron Thomas picked up and scored on was the highlight of the game, and it was nearly all the Redbirds needed to win.
But then Josh Dobbs and most of the Cardinals offense played as though Trace McSorley was still lining up behind (or under) center. And say what you will about Kyler Murray, but there is no denying that the Cards are most likely flying back to the desert with a W if he was good to go this week.
Dobbs’ inefficiency in running the Cardinals offense was easily the main takeaway, as was “Big Red’s” defensive stand. But there were other major eye-openers as well, starting with the backbone of that defense.
3 takeaways in Arizona Cardinals loss for Week 1
1 - Pass rush shows up!
If the Arizona Cardinals pass rush plays the way they did today, then I feel for every single opposing quarterback they will face this year. Going into the game, I knew they would get to Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, but I never thought they would average nearly eight yards per sack, and six total.
The Cards showed the Commanders faithful something today: Why Howell was a fifth round draft pick, and that he’s likely destined to be an outstanding career backup and spot starter.
What was more amazing? Guys like Victor Dimukeje and Jonathan Ledbetter got in on the action, showing us that (so far) the Cards never needed a blue chip EDGE rusher. Can you imagine what this pass rush will look like when BJ Ojulari is up to speed and if Myjai Sanders makes his way back from IR?
“Scary good” is the first phrase that comes to my mind. But they may just need a nickname for the unit if they keep bringing down quarterbacks behind the line.
2 - Penalties still plaguing the Cardinals
Residual energy from the Kliff Kingsbury era still lingers, despite a new outlook, an overhauled roster, and even new uniforms that would look amazing if the Cards paired the white pants with the red jerseys. We thought that the entire era was in the rearview, but unfortunately, the Arizona Cardinals committed one too many infractions in today’s contest, and that was a staple for when Kingsbury was stalking the sidelines.
So how bad did it get for the Redbirds this Sunday in terms of penalties? They ended up committing nine of them for 122 yards, with 67 coming on just one drive that ended in a Commanders touchdown.
Some of us may claim a few of those penalties were sketchy, but that’s not the point. You can’t put yourself in such a position, especially on a single drive. When you do the math, the Redbirds average 13.5 yards per penalty, and such numbers aren’t winning you many games.
3 - Ertz returns to form
James Conner was a bright spot, as we knew he would be. But tight end Zach Ertz also returned to form in this one after he was initially listed as Questionable.
Ertz made his presence known early, and he ended up hauling in six receptions on 10 targets. Sure, he only had 21 receiving yards, but this came with Josh Dobbs playing quarterback, so I’m not entirely surprised that he couldn’t rack up more.
But we really didn’t know what to expect from the aging tight end who missed nearly half of last season with a torn ACL. On the flip side, Trey McBride quietly enjoyed a solid day, snagging a pair of catches for 23 yards on two targets and a long of 13.
Of Dobbs’ 21 completions, eight went to the tight ends while five went to Conner. The final eight went to the wideouts, which tells me you’re going to see the tight ends featured a lot in this offense regardless of who is playing quarterback.
(Statistics provided by ESPN.com)