In a tough fought victory that required a second half rally, the Arizona Cardinals have advanced to 6-2 after a road win vs the Cleveland Browns. Most will say this game was a lot closer than it should have been. The intensity level appeared to be an issue for Arizona in the first half, a half that the Browns dominated much to the chagrin of the Arizona fans.
The Cardinals started out the game nicely, marching down the field with an impressive 82 yard drive resulting in a TD pass to (TE) Troy Niklas. The Cardinal’s defense then came out and forced a Cleveland punt after just 5 plays. Things were going well early for Arizona but then the turnovers came, and once again they came in bunches. Chris Johnson carried for 109 yards but had a serious case of the droppsies.
The Arizona defense struggled as well, although it was partly due to the short fields created by the offensive turnovers. Cleveland’s Josh McCown had a solid first half utilizing the hot routes and quick slants against the Cardinal’s “bend but don’t break” defense. The Browns converted on 6 out of 8 third down conversions in the first half, and led the game 20-10 going into halftime, after a late field goal from Arizona.
Then it happened. We don’t know what exactly happened, or what was said, or even who was saying it, but something sparked the Arizona Cardinals during halftime. It’s been reported that the Head Coach Bruce Arians “asked” the team if they considered themselves to be pretenders or contenders.
It must have done the rick because the Arizona Cardinals responded in the second half with the defense not allowing a single point and forcing 2 Cleveland turnovers. The Arizona offense, in return, rewarded the defense’s efforts by putting up 3 TDs and a field goal to take a 43-20 victory. This is the type of dominant play the Cardinals are capable of, and the type of play the Arizona fans now expect. All in all it wasn’t a bad day, especially when looking at the stat sheet, but depending on late game rallies against the better teams in the NFL will not be so easy.
-Carson Palmer ended up with 374 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception. Palmer is currently tied with Tom Brady for most TDs (20), and is 3rd in passing yardage (2386).
-Chris Johnson is 2nd in the NFL for rushing yards (676), and Larry Fitzgerald is tied with Odell Beckham and Rob Gronkowski for the most passing TDs (7). The Cardinals are ranked 3rd in overall offense.
-On defense the Arizona Cardinals are ranked 4th overall.
Arizona is ranked 5th best in both rushing and passing yards allowed.
-Arizona’s Rashad Johnson is tied for most interceptions (4), and rookie OLB Markus Golden is tied with J.J. Watt for most QB hurries (17).
Pretenders or contenders? I’m sure the opinions will vary. We do know that there is much talent in Arizona, and like every talented team the window will only stay open for so long. If the Cardinals want to go deep into the playoffs, they will have to maximize every opportunity. 6-2 is a great start, but now it’s the second half of the season that matters.
“For us to reach where we want to go, we can’t be potential. We have to be damn good.” -Bruce Arians
