On Sunday, more than a few Cardinals were slowly moving around the locker room, and it wasn’t because they were angry. It was just the game. All week, the talk has been about how physical both the Cardinals and Lions are playing, and it looked that way.
How many times has a player been knocked down after a play? The Lions used the cart, and the final collision between Trey McBride and Lions safety Brian Branch was violent. People were hurt and beaten up on both sides. But that’s how the Cardinals want to play. The problem was that they couldn’t create enough gaps for the running game – and James Conner in particular.
The Cardinals are so good at running. Even coach Jonathan Gannon admitted, “Yeah, I am,” when I asked him if he was surprised the running game had struggled so much.
But this loss feels a lot like the one in Buffalo, and what I mean by that is that after a while and some of the emotions have passed, it will look a little better. I expect the Bills and Lions to both be factors for a Super Bowl berth in their conference. Close losses aren’t enough if there are too many of them, but let’s see how this plays out. Here’s what I do know: The defense seems to be better than expected. And I don’t think this offense will play like it did on Sunday too often.
— What happens to right tackle? Jonah Williams can’t return until Week 6 at Green Bay at the earliest. We’ll see how Kelvin Beachum’s hamstring goes, but it was bad enough to bench him. Jackson Barton held up pretty well on Sunday before ending up with a toe issue — Aiden Hutchinson’s only sack came when he lined up opposite Paris Johnson Jr.
“I just knew every game and had to make it my best repertoire,” Barton said.
“He fought through it,” Gannon said. “He didn’t want to give up the game when I went out there when he was down. He’s a true professional.”
The question is whether Barton will stay down because of his toe. The experienced Charlie Heck, fourth in the rankings, had to finish the game.
— Kyler Murray was not happy with his first interception of the season. It came on the opening drive of the second half with the score 20-10 and the Cards facing a second-and-3 at the Detroit 36. Murray attempted a jump ball to Marvin Harrison Jr. in the end zone, but the ball was thrown a little short and was intercepted by Kerby Joseph.
“It’s probably not the right time for it, but it is what it is,” Murray said. “I trust my guys.”
— Harrison ended up with 11 faceoffs, the most of the game, but only five of them were successful, yielding 64 yards and a touchdown. Murray looked for him often and there were close calls — Terrion Arnold intercepted what looked like a touchdown pass just before halftime — but in the end, the effort wasn’t enough.
— Mack Wilson’s pick-6 that wasn’t a pick-6 messed up the perception, but if the refs blew their whistle and no one could hear it, it didn’t matter. And the Cards know they have to stop the next third-down run from 14 points when the Lions needed 12. That last TD should never have happened. (Although there’s a tweet from Herman Moore, the Lions’ all-time best receiver, saying it should have counted…)
— Because Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs didn’t have an official reception – thanks to the hook-and-lateral – it’s kind of funny to see a guy with a receiving TD and 20 yards receiving but a big donut in the catch column.
— The Cardinals have been pretty healthy so far, but seeing defensive linemen Justin Jones and Khyiris Tonga both injured and another right tackle and tight end Trey McBride being evaluated for a concussion is tough, but understandable considering how physical the game was.
— Cardinals kicker Matt Prater’s extra point on his team’s opening touchdown was the 1,800thth of his career. He is the only active player to have reached this milestone.
— Suns guard and Olympic gold medalist Devin Booker was there. (We won’t talk about the fact that, being from Michigan, he leans toward the Lions.)
Speaking of the Suns, the Cardinals have acknowledged the passing of longtime Suns commentator Al McCoy, who passed away over the weekend at the age of 91. Cardinals commentator Dave Pasch delivered McCoy’s patented “Shazam!” to accompany the Cardinals’ first touchdown on Sunday, a catch by Marvin Harrison Jr.
— When I moved to Arizona as a young boy in 1976, McCoy (along with Dodgers commentator Vin Scully, since the Diamondbacks didn’t exist when I was growing up) was the soundtrack of my youth. Television sports weren’t what they are today, and I would listen to both boys on KTAR in my room and picture the games in my head.
— The Cardinals didn’t get what they wanted on offense, but they were outstanding on their first drive, scoring a touchdown on their first possession for the third time in three games. When was the last time the Cardinals scored on their first drive in three consecutive games? You have to go back to 2006 – Denny Green’s final season – when they did it in Weeks 12-14.
– The last word goes to wide receiver Michael Wilson, who admitted a loss that didn’t have to happen.
“Everything is more important in football,” he said. “It’s bigger. It’s one of the few sports where you practice exponentially more than you play. … every goal, every block is more important because you only get a limited number of guaranteed opportunities to perform. We just didn’t play well enough as an offensive unit to have a chance to win.”
