The Cardinals fell to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field this Sunday by a score of 23 to 35. In a game that started off with a Cardinal interception that was quickly taken for a touchdown - it seemed like the game against the Lions was the Cardinals to lose, and lose they did. Throughout the game the Cardinal Offense consistently turned the ball over and put the Cardinal Defense in horrible field position which allowed the Lions offense to score easily.
Offense:
- It looks like the Cardinals are going to have a very tough time keeping Carson Palmer standing up as starting Left Tackle D.J Humphries went out with a left knee injury and will miss some playing time. After a long game where the Cardinals had difficulty protecting Palmer, they are going to have a tougher time without D.J. Humphries – arguably their best pass blocker.
- Not only did the Cardinals lose Humphries, but they also lost their Star Running Back David Johnson. This may be a catastrophic loss as David Johnson was the biggest threat offensively for the Arizona Cardinals. Without him they will have a really tough time moving the ball at all this season.
- The Wide Receivers were terrible, throughout the entire game no one could get open against a very average Lions defense.
Defense:
- For a Cardinal team that led the league in sacks last year, it sure seemed like the Defense couldn’t get to Stafford - as he easily picked apart the Cardinal secondary – it seemed he was never really hurried to get rid of the football.
- There is a collective thought amongst Cardinal Fans that veteran Cornerback Justin Bethel needs to be more consistent opposite Patrick Peterson. Bethel started off the game with an amazing interception returned for a touchdown, but then followed it up with two touchdowns given up. The Cardinals cannot allow Justin to be a weak link in this defense or it will cause much trouble for this team going forward.
- The one positive that we can take from this horrific game the Cardinals put together was how well Rookie Linebacker Hassan Reddick looked in his first game as a pro. Reddick was stuffing Running Back Ameer Abdullah at the line of scrimmage as well as showing how versatile he is covering the flats in pass coverage.
Special Teams:
- If I were handing out grades, the Special Teams would get an incomplete. Phil Dawson missed a chip shot kick and put worry in all Cardinal fans minds – including my own. On kickoffs, they did a fairly decent job taking advantage of the Detroit Lions boneheaded attempts at running the ball out of the end zone. Check back with me next week and I’ll be able to assign them an appropriate grade.
Ben’s Take:
- After watching the preseason, I really thought the Cardinals had solved all their major problems. It seems I was completely wrong, they cannot protect Carson Palmer and now have to try to do so without D.J Humphries. The loss of David Johnson now means there isn’t much of a way to keep the opposing defenses honest. If the Cardinals want to save their season they better figure out a way to change up their offense. If there is good news, it’s that this is only the first regular season game – Go Cards!
