Winners and Losers from the Arizona Cardinals loss to New Orleans

Before this game i was asked, “So, do you want them to win this game or not?” It was a tough question and ultimately i decided that the ending didn’t matter as much for me. What I wanted to see was a little heart from the players. A glimpse of promise for 2017. And I got that, here and there. So in looking to the future, and staying positive this holiday season, here’s my Winners and Losers-

Winners-

Carson Palmer- 28 of 40, 318, 2 TDs. And that was with quite a few exasperating drops (Looking at you JJ). Passing game hummed despite it to the tune of 41 points and I’m hopeful 2017 has some new faces added in to this attack.

David Johnson and Kerwynn Williams- KW opened it up with a great run, and (with CJ and AE free agents) might be a promising #2 next season. David Johnson just did David Johnson stuff. You know, 100 yards from scrimmage, couple TDs. The usual.

John Brown- I know what you’re thinking. Who? Haha. The man who only had one grab in the last FOUR GAMES showed up big with 100 yards and a score.

Calais Campbell- He’s making a case to stay in Arizona. 2 sacks, fumble recovery, and the TD. Would love to make it work, especially with question marks surrounding Gunter and Nkemdiche.

Sio Moore- That late penalty hurt, but to come off the street and lead the team with 11 tackles is impressive. Filled in admirably and I felt he deserved notice.

Draft Position- The Saints are the only team in the top 10 to win, and now have a better record and a head-to-head victory, meaning (if my math is right) we slide into the tenth pick. With Carolina playing Monday, this could possibly become ninth.

Losers-

Passing defense- Oh gee golly guys, i mean, i get its Brees, but please, cover Cooks deep. He is fast, i knew that.

Brittan Golden- Got a lot more looks this game and didn’t shine. Kickoffs weren’t great and that fumble, well, it hurt.

Catman- Honestly, the field goal was a long one, and he nailed 5 XPs after the miss. There’s been a lot of moving parts to his game but you can see his frustration.

Playoff Hopefuls- Heartfelt apologies to those optimists we had here. But on the bright side, now officially mathematically eliminated, we can all get along now! Or we can passionately argue about something else. Draft priorities? Let’s do it.