Tuesday night meant Revenge of the Bird Radio. Seth Cox and I were on the air talking about the Arizona Cardinals and, specifically, about the loss the Cardinals suffered on Sunday to the Atlanta Falcons.
We went over the loss and the injuries suffered and talked about the following:
- The bad in the game, namely the fact that they did not play well in any phase of the game.
- The few bright spots
- The play of Jonathan Cooper and Drew Stanton
- The playoff outlook for Arizona looking forward
It was hard not to sound fatalistic on the show. Arizona has lost two straight and has looked terrible doing so. The run defense was a huge disappointment, giving up over 100 yards to Steven Jackson, including a 55-yarder. That long run, the second run of the game, set the tone.
Patrick Peterson and Antonio Cromartie were beaten like a pair of drums.
The Cardinals only attempted 10 running plays the entire game.
Seth poses the question -- if the lack of attempts (only three in the second half) is a result of not trusting any player other than Andre Ellington-- why did it take the team so long to address the position?
Stanton looked bad again on the road and I compare his numbers at home and on the road.
The bright spots included the play of Jonathan Cooper and the big play by Rashad Johnson.
As for the playoffs, Arizona still has the top seed in the NFC, but their cushion has vanished. They still are in control, but with the way they have played, looking ahead at the remaining four games on the schedule, there is a very real scenario in which the Cardinals could lose them all, end up 9-7 and miss the playoffs. That would be an historic collapse. No team that has started 8-1 has even missed the playoffs.
But looking at the game against the Chiefs, it is a matchup that should favor Arizona, especially playing at home. Will they get it right and take this sinking feeling away? Seth thinks so, which is something, considering his reputation for being negative.
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