Well Cardinals fans I don’t know what to feel after Sundays win over the San Francisco 49ers. The Cardinals escaped in overtime and once again Larry Fitzgerald’s late-game heroics carried the Cardinals to now a .500 (2-2) record. Most Cardinal fans are living by the age-old saying “A win is a win”, myself, I’m happy with what the Cardinals did yesterday. Although, it took almost 5 quarters to defeat the 49ers on Sunday, the Cardinals are winning close football games this year. Last year, this was a non-factor and ultimately cost the Cardinals a few games. In this edition the only way to dissect this game is to sort through the good the bad and the ugly from the Cardinals win on Sunday.
The Good:
- The Arizona Cardinals defense was absolutely outstanding against a very poor 49ers offense. However, the Cardinal defense needs to be dominant throughout the season if the Cardinals wish to stay relevant this year.
- Quarterback Carson Palmer – except for one boneheaded interception – played very well yesterday while throwing for 357 yards. He arguably threw 2 touchdowns, had the referees been calling the game correctly. While being sacked multiple times throughout the day, Carson Palmer lit it up and Is a big reason why the Cardinal offense is relevant this year.
- The Wide Receivers for the Cardinals played -in my opinion- outstanding against the 49ers above average defense. Even Running Back Andre Ellington put his stamp in the Cards win over the 49ers on Sunday. I think the most important key to the Receivers success against the 49ers was the presence of John Brown who looked pretty good catching the football – despite his stat line - the presence of John is key to open up lanes for other Wide Receivers to shine.
- Kicker Phil Dawson shrugged off the doubts this week by going an impressive 4 for 4 on his Field Goals. Dawson needs to be lights out if the Cardinals want to be contenders in these close games throughout the season.
The Bad:
- Justin Bethal isn’t good, he constantly gets burned off the line of scrimmage. He can’t cover anyone and it’s time to make a switch.
- The Running Backs for the Cardinals are absolutely terrible, Chris Johnson looks really slow and worn down and Andre Ellington is too small to run down opposing defenders. Although, it seems that the offensive line for the Cardinals is to blame, as well their poor blocking, the running backs for the Cards aren’t helping their own case.
- Outside Linebacker Markus Golden is out for the season with a torn ACL, injuries have plagued the Cardinals all year. The Defense is supposed to carry the Cardinals this year and with Golden out it’s going to be hard to get to the opposing Quarterback.
The Ugly:
- The worst thing about the Arizona Cardinals in 2017 is the offensive line. The Arizona Cardinals aren’t able to keep any defense honest this year because they can’t run the football and opposing defenses are getting to Carson Palmer by dropping into coverage and only rushing 3 linemen. I have no idea what the Cardinals are going to do come Sunday vs the Eagles who have a very talented front seven.
I’m sorry Cardinal fans but I’ve made my decision, the Cardinals aren’t good and injuries are starting to overwhelm them. The Cardinals should start thinking about April and where they could possibly be selecting so they can replace quarterback Carson Palmer. I’m personally worried about Palmers health, in my opinion there Is no way he plays the full season.
